Distant Stars
by jetterwetter
Summary: Zim and Dib find out that there is so much more between them than hatred. The Tallest need Zim to help them on a mission of doom, against their better judgement to fight an unknown alien menace. Could this be the end of all beings in the galaxy? ZADR. RAPR. Please R/R.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is my very first fan fiction ever. This is also my first piece of work ever but don't turn away because of that! _ It would mean a lot to me for you all to read and review. Invader Zim or any of it's characters do not belong to me. Please enjoy!

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It was a normal day like any other. The sky was still blue and the grass was still green. Green. It was weird of how he had come to think of that color. When he thought 'green' he thought about the pale green kid that sat right across the room from him. The green kid that no one else seemed to notice was a light shade of green. How could they not see? He didn't even have ears! How stupid can people get to see that this _kid_ was really an alien? It stubbed him all these years how no one seemed to notice anything about this alien, named Zim.

It had been six years since Zim first landed on Earth. Not much had really changed since then. Zim still tried to take over the world but they always ended with his own stupidity ruining his plans or Dib foiling them. Dib always seemed to find Zim at the right moment to stop him from doing whatever he planned to do. Over the years the fights got a little rougher. They had started using hand to hand combat. Dib had several scars from their past and more recent fights. He sort of thought of them as glorious battle scars. From what he could see, Zim didn't have any scars on the visible parts of his body. He always his Irken uniform on which included his gloves and boots, so you never saw any of his skin except for his big...alien head.

The two enemies themselves hadn't really changed much. They had both grown to be pretty tall. Dib was around six-foot one while Zim was five eighths. Dib could tell his height bothered Zim so anytime he could he would rub it in his face. Some of their arguments would end with Dib yelling, "Well I'm taller than you, so ha alien scum!". After that Zim would grit his teeth together and storm away from Dib. Dib found out that this was an easy way to make Zim go away if he was getting too annoying even for him to handle.

So as was being said before, it was a normal day or so it seemed at first. Dib and Zim were in their fifth hour class that was right after lunch. This was their last class of the day that both Zim and Dib were in. Dib was laying his head on his desk. The teacher was just droning on and on as usual about doom or something like that. Everything was fine until he felt a hard smack on his head. "Ow!" He looked up angrily, half expecting to see Zim standing over him. Instead it was his teacher, Ms. Jenkins, looming over him with a stern look on her face. She wacked him one more time this time with a little more force.

"I have tolerated with your moping, pathetic self but I am teaching a class. You will respect me enough to at least lift you're head up. Whatever a _sad_ and _miserable _life you may have, in my classroom you will act like you have gumdrops and sugar filling your brain. Now sit up and don't make me ever have to say this again!" Ms. Jenkins yelled the last sentence making almost everyone in the classroom jump.

Ms. Jenkins huffed and then turned around, heading back to the chalk board. Snickers could be heard throughout the room and Dib was genuinely embarrassed. He had never had a teacher lash out at him like that before for being so quiet. Usually they were yelling at him to stop being so crazy or for him and Zim to stop fighting. When he thought about it though he had been moping around for a while now. It had started when he first realized he didn't have much to live for anymore except for saving the world. Even that was starting to lose its edge; the buzz that it gave Dib had slowly started to fade away. It just seemed to him that no one cared about him anymore. Well saying anymore was an overstatement. No one had _ever_ cared about him.

Dib sighed trying hard to not think about it too much. He looked at the teacher as she continued her lesson on whatever it was that she was teaching. Luckily for him this class was almost over. They had a little under five minutes left. Out of habit Dib looked up and glanced over at Zim. To his surprise the alien was staring straight at him, those lavender contacts staring right through him. Dib felt a little uncomfortable at this. It would've been normal if Zim was glaring at him with a look that said, "I wish your big human head would explode!''. The look Zim gave Dib though was a quizzical look. He looked confused, almost as if he had never seen Dib before. Dib just turned back around and looked at the floor. There was this little black speck that was rather interesting.

Dib was thankful for the bell to ring because it broke the silence inside of him that was threatening to make him go insane. 'At least the voices aren't bothering me today...' He thought to himself. The class swarmed out of the room as it always did and Dib was the last to leave like he always did. The teacher gave him a cold glare as he passed her desk and left the room. He had no idea what he had done to make her so mad.

Dib's locker wasn't too far away from the classroom. Then again the skool wasn't very big so his locker wasn't far from anything. He opened his banged up locker, putting his torn up book in it. He sighed closing his locker,  
"There's just a few more hours of school left. You can get through it...", he mumbled to himself. Dib turned around, ready to head to his next horrifying class. When he turned around though all he saw was green right in his face. He thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest as he clutched the front of his shirt and slid to the ground. Zim looked down at him and laughed maniacally.

"Stoopid Dib-beast. Did Zim finally scare the life out of you? Zim does have that effect on some people." Zim grinned his zipper grin poking Dib in the chest. Dib just pushed his hand away, standing up.  
"Wh-What do you want, Zim?" Dib stuttered trying to not show his shock. Zim started to look a little uncomfortable, twiddling with the hem of his uniform.  
"Well Dib-stink, you haven't been acting like your normal dirt-child self. Zim demands to know why!" He practically yelled, poking Dib in the chest again. Those contacts of his seemed to be searching Dib, as if looking for his very soul so he could poke and question that too.

The question Zim asked shocked Dib even more than the sudden scare did. Was Zim worried about him? Well he didn't really question Dib; more like demanded answers from him. Either way, was Zim showing _concern_ for him?  
"I don't know what you're talking about..." Dib stated bluntly, looking anywhere but those lavender eyes. He had never really liked those contacts. Not just because they somehow hid the fact that he was an alien but because he thought Zim looked better without his disguise on. Wait, what was he thinking? Zim never looked good disguise or no disguise. He was alien scum that Dib despised and Dib wanted it to stay that way.

Zim just kept staring at Dib. He obviously wasn't satisfied with his answer but he didn't say anything else for what seemed the longest time. It had to have only been a minute or two though. As soon as the silence came it was broken. The last remnants of students were wandering the halls going to their next classes reluctantly. Torque and his goons could be heard turning the corner. As they passed they didn't even bother giving Zim or Dib a glance. When Torque passed Dib though he bumped his shoulder into him as if he was playing football. Dib was tossed into the lockers none too gently. Torque and his gang just laughed as they kept making their way down the hallway. Left over kids in the hallway who saw this act just laughed, commenting on how crazy Dib was.

Dib just gritted his teeth and clenched his fists together. He looked up noticing that Zim was still standing there. Zim's attention was no longer on Dib though. He was staring in the spot that Torque and his buddies had disappeared from. The look on his face was one of pure hatred that he would sometimes give Dib when he foiled his plans. "There is an earthly custom called 'excuse me'," Zim hissed under his breath.  
Dib was shocked at this. "Well yeah but no one here has manners. If you haven't noticed that yet. I have to go to class." Dib just turned around leaving Zim to stare after him. Zim just turned the other way to go to his next pathetic earth class with his fists clenched. He was going to find out what was wrong with the Dib-thing whether Dib wanted him to or not.

The rest of the day was going moderately fast. The teacher for this class was just like the others and would just babble on about whatever the topic was. In this class Dib sat in the very back though. There was no need for him to sit in the front because Zim wasn't in this class. So he didn't need to keep an eye on him or be able to make a quick exit for a chase after the alien. Dib didn't know what class the alien had this hour. He wasn't even sure if Zim kept going to class after their last hour together. Everyday after school though Zim confronted him with a remark about the earth being a stinking pile of filth. Those were almost his exact words every other day.  
This class was almost over and they already had a pile of meaningless homework like they did mostly everyday. The homework was relatively easy no matter how much of it they got. Dib usually did his homework in the morning before school when he was waiting for Gaz to get wake up and get ready.

While Dib was in thought the bell to go to next hour rang. This was his least favorite hour of the day, despite it being the last hour. He got out of his seat shuffling out of the room behind everyone else not even bothering to go to his locker. It may have been his least favorite hour but he could get there with his eyes closed if he wanted. There was one time he actually had to go there in the dark so to speak. Torque and his buddies had gotten ahold of him in the hallway and given him a super wedgie. His underwear had been stretched out so much that they had been able to pull it over his head covering half of his face. He would've pulled his underwear off of his head but the pain was too much that he didn't even want to try. It was one of those moments where it hurt really bad but keeping it in that position kept it from hurting him even more. When he had gotten home that day Gaz had to get a pair of scissors and cut them off.

Ever since then Dib made sure to go down a different hallway that Torque didn't go down. Dib was down the hall before he knew it. The door to his classroom just loomed over him. It was as if the door grew as Dib shrunk in its presence. He sighed and decided it was his last class so he might as well get it over with. He took a deep breath and opened the door, looking in the room as he did everyday. There were desks filling the classroom like any normal room. These desks were a little smaller than what Dib was used to and some of them looked like they had a sticky substance on the top of them. The one thing that stood out the most in the classroom though was the figure that was located in the front of the room. At first sight you'd almost think she had the qualities of a snake. She had a look about her that made kids respect her out of fear. Her long black dress and tight official bun made her even more intimidating. Yes, Miss Bitters did always have a way of making her class shut up.

Dib was the lucky high school student that got to have Miss Bitters as a teacher. He was the only student in her class that hour though.  
"Sit down Dib. I want to get out of this wretched school and you keep me from doing that." Miss Bitters said in her scraggly voice. Dib obeyed while just nodding and going to sit in his seat that he has always sat in. That one seat that was in the front row, right by the window. He looked across the room at the desk that Zim would have been sitting at. There were so many memories in this old classroom. The most prominent memory in his mind was that first day that Zim showed up in class six years ago. A lot had happened in this room that first year of school with Zim. That was the last year that they had Miss Bitters as a teacher. Except this year for Dib, which still confused Dib. He remembered at the beginning of the year when he looked at his schedule and saw he had her last hour. He had even went to the principle about it but he said it wasn't a mistake. As soon as he walked in the class that day, Miss Bitters just told him in her demeaning, sarcastic tone that he was special and got a study hall. Dib had doubted that since she told him but he didn't want to argue with her. It would've ended ugly.

Today though so much had already went through his mind. So of course he was going to wonder why he was the only one in this class alone. He finally mustered up the courage to ask the question that he had wanted to know ever since he first walked into that classroom this year. "Miss Bitters, why am I the only one that has this class? You're not even a high school teacher; you're an elementary school teacher. I just don't get it..." Dib looked over at her and she narrowed her eyes giving him that all too familiar glare.  
"Well Dib, I guess you have the right to know. At then end of last school year your class held a meeting about you. They decided they were done dealing with your craziness all day. The principle couldn't find a way for you to have all different classes than your classmates though so they had to settle for one hour of the day. They also decided to separate you and Zim from some classes to keep fighting to a minimum. When I said you were special at the beginning of the year I wasn't lying. You're just especially crazy. Now no more questions!" Miss Bitters hissed the last sentence, folding her hands together.

Dib sat there for half of the hour stunned. He was feeling emotions but they were just flowing through him all at once. When he would close to figuring out what one emotion was, it would be replaced with another. He could make out the hatred and loathing he felt for his classmates. There was sadness in there someone. He knew that his fellow students never believed anything he ever said but did they really dislike him that much? Zim would sometimes act just as strange as he did, so why wasn't he forced to be in this class too? There was that one time that the class agreed on sending Dib to the crazy house for boys but he was the only one who ever got sent. Dib didn't understand what made him so different. There were other kids at their school who were medically insane and they had friends! This new information just left Dib feeling...hollow. There had been signs of him being depressed before but now it was kind of inevitable. He had no friends, no one cared about him, and the only important thing in his life was an alien who hates him and wants to conquer Earth! Even his family didn't pay as much attention to him as Zim did.

The bell couldn't have rang at a better moment. Dib stood up clutching his arm and slowly making it out of the classroom. Miss Bitters must have noticed the look on his face because she didn't even make a remark telling him to get out of her classroom. Her pitying him almost made Dib feel worse. If he hadn't got out of that classroom soon then he might have really went insane. The voices were on the verge of coming back to him. It had seemed like he had only just got them to go away and now they were coming back to taunt him. He tried not to think about it as he walked down the hall. Students were scrambling through the hallways in a craze to get out of the school and get home. Dib's mind was just blank, until he heard that familiar voice.  
"You dare push the almighty Zim! You stoopid, stoopid earth worms will get what's coming to you!" Zim's voice roared over the crowd of stinky kids running out the door. Dib grinned evilly as he casual headed towards the front doors. Zim was standing there his hands on his hips and his head held high. Dib couldn't help but think how conceded he looked standing that way. Then he remembered this was Zim he was thinking about, so of course he was going to act like that.

Dib walked up shoving Zim to the ground while he was mid-rant. Zim grunted looking up from his new seat on the ground. Dib just kept walking as if nothing had happened. "Excuse me!" He yelled back to Zim. He was trying his best to not laugh because he could already picture Zim's face. Zim must have been fuming because he didn't yell at Dib or anything. Dib took this as a bad sign and started running in the direction of his house. If Zim was really mad then Dib knew that he was going to get even. His enemies footsteps resounded behind him as they ran down the sidewalk. Dib smiled in hope as he saw the cross walk that split the road. One road took Dib to his house and the opposite road took Zim to his own house.

Dib slowed down just a little getting ready to cross the street. He was almost positive Zim wouldn't follow him to his house. The street was getting closer and then it just disappeared. Dib felt himself almost flying through the air. His back landed on the ground full force, the weight of a full-grown alien making it even worse. Dib looked up at the green face that was seething with anger. "What do you think you're doing space boy!" Dib yelled angrily, wriggling underneath the weight of his nemesis who was straddling him. Zim had Dib's wrists pinned to the ground keeping him there. His grip was so tight and despite his skinny arms he was stronger than Dib. Dib would never admit that though.  
"You pushed Zim! I was only getting even and now you have no choice but to tell Zim what has been wrong with you. What's going on in that big head of yours Dib-stink?" Zim narrowed his eyes staring into those amber eyes of Dib's.

Dib's face got real hot as the blood rushed into his cheeks. He wasn't used to this kind of contact with Zim. They had been in this kind of position before but then they were clawing and taking swipes at one another while rolling on the floor fighting. This was completely different from all those other times. They weren't fighting or even yelling at each other. Zim's voice had went down to a more normal, low tone. Dib just sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this easily. "Do...you ever just get tired of it all?" He asked, turning his head to look away from Zim. Zim just looked down at him with his trademark one eye narrowed and one eye wide.  
"Zim does not understand. Irkens don't need as much sleep as you pathetic humans!" Zim got his condescending tone back, loosening his grip on Dib's wrists. Dib saw he chance to break free from the alien. He reached up pushing Zim off of him and standing up. His back had to have been bruised because it hurt as if he had got hit with a bat.  
"I should have known that you wouldn't have been any help." Dib got a hard look in his eyes, just turning the other way heading back to the road.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I don't know how often I'll post chapters. I might be able to do it once or twice a week unless I'm busy with school and stuff. I still do not own Invader Zim or any of its characters.

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Dib wasn't paying attention to anything; he was just keeping his mind blank. He didn't want to hear anymore of Zim's rantings. All he had to do was cross the street and get home. Then things would get better, wouldn't they...? Out of the corner of his eye he saw bright lights flashing his way. If he had been more aware of his surroundings, he may have noticed them sooner. As the lights got closer, Dib could hear what sounded like a loud buzzing in his ear. His whole head felt like it was stuffed with cotton though. It wasn't until the metal rods came around him from his left and right, wrapping around him, that he looked up noticing the car that was advancing on him. Everything was happening so suddenly but at the same time it was all in slow motion. Dib could feel himself being pulled back by the metal rods. Dib looked down looking at the metal rods. He had seen these before but he couldn't think of where. They had pointed ends that were stabbing into his chest, just hard enough to break the skin.

Next thing Dib knew he was on the ground, the metal rods still wrapped around him. Dib watched the car fly past, still honking its horn. Out the window, the passenger was making a crude hand gesture towards him. Dib shrugged it off, looking at the ground. He was back on the sidewalk and was breathing like he had just run a marathon. There was something else though. Oh yeah, the metal rods. Dib looked down at them again and put his hand on one of them. They were kind of warm and went behind him. That's when he became aware of the presence of another body behind him, breathing just as hard as he was against his back.  
Zim laid his head on Dib's back. What was this feeling that had overcome him? Why did his squeedly spooch feel like it was going to rip from his chest? When he saw that the Dib-thing was in danger his instincts took over. He didn't know what came over him but he knew that he had to save the Dib. He knew Dib's frail human pile of mesh would never have survived the impact from that Earthian transportation vehicle. Zim would have never done what he just did for another human; the thought of saving the filthy humans made him sick. Yet lately when he thought of Dib he got a warm feeling in his squeedly spooch.

Dib turned his head slowly, knowing what he was going to see behind him. The green alien looked just as shocked as he did. Zim's face turned a darker shade of green as he looked up into Dib's face. Dib's own face was a dark shade of red. Zim's spider legs were still wrapped around Dib protectively, as if that car was going to come suddenly let go of the spider leg, once he realized what he had been holding onto, almost like it had shocked him. Zim slowly retracted them back into his Pak, staying seated on the concrete. Dib was about to say something when he became aware of Zim's groin up against his lower back. His face turned even more red as he sprang up into a standing position. Dib looked away and reluctantly offered his hand to Zim. The alien looked up at Dib's face and then at his hand like it was something he had never seen before. "Wh-What do you want me to do with that?" He asked, confused.  
Dib sighed, reaching down and grabbing Zim's hand. He pulled him up off of the ground and then quickly let go of his had. "I was offering to help you up." He told Zim, looking anywhere besides at the alien.

Zim inhaled sharply at the sudden movement of being pulled up. He just looked over at the human who wasn't even looking at him. "Hey, Dib-worm!", Zim smacked Dib upside the head, "I think some thanks are in order for ZIM!"  
"Ow!" Dib put his hand on his head to rub the now sore spot. He looked over at Zim, grinning weakly. "Yeah, uh, thanks Zim." Dib just mumbled looking down at Zim's shoes.  
"You didn't have to do that you know." He added, turning around to look at the road. Before he could take a step, he felt clawed hands grab his shoulder turning him back around roughly. Zim was looking at him with stern eyes. Suddenly Zim was grabbing the hem of Dib's shirt, pulling it off forcefully. Dib could feel his face getting hot again as he just looked at Zim confused, shocked, and scared.  
"Yes I did have to do that, Dib-thing." Zim hissed, poking spots all over Dib's chest. "You see these? These are Zim's. You belong to Zim and no one else." Zim's zipper grin replaced that stern look. Dib looked down, seeing that Zim was pointing at all the scars he had on his chest. The scars that he had were scars made from his previous years of fighting with the alien.

Dib had no idea what to say to this. He...belonged to Zim? That was ludicrous! They were enemies! Zim wanted him dead or so he thought. Dib opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it just as quick. Zim narrowed his eyes and just threw Dib's shirt back at him. "Go home, Dib-stink." Zim turned away and then crossed the street that would take him to his house. Dib just stood there until Zim was no longer visible, his shirt still clutched in his hands.

* * *

"Oh my god!"

"Oh yeah! Keep going, don't stop!"

"When did you get so flexible?"

The perturbed food service drone stood outside the door, twiddling his fingers. He had been standing there for a long time now. The poor, tiny Irken had lost track of the time. He shrieked, jumping three feet in the air, when he heard someone call out to him from down the hall. The puny Irken turned and saw a guard heading towards him. Inwardly he panicked, thinking he did something wrong and was going to be thrown out an air shoot or even worse...demoted. The guard stopped in front of him, placing his hands on his hips. "What are you doing? I send you to do something and I find you standing around?!" The guard practically screamed, looking down at the less important Irken.

"Damn you've gotten so good at doing that! My goodness!"

"Oh well, then you'll love this!"

"Yes I do! I could do this all day! O-Oh!"

The guards jaw dropped, his eyes widening. He turned to look at the door that they were standing beside, where the voices were coming from. More moans could be heard from behind the door, louder than thought possible. He turned to look down at the service drone, who was looking up at him. "They've been doing that for hours! I didn't know what to do so I thought I would just wait it out. But they haven't even paused once! It's been nonstop..." The little drone said with a look of dread on his face. He had heard every noise and movement in that room for the past few hours or longer. The guard gulped, not sure of what to do, looking back up at the door. This was going to end bad for someone, of that he was sure.

"Purple! That tickles!

"Tallest my ass! More like my Longest, if you ask me!"

"Well no one asked you did they? Now get back over here!"

"Oh, Red, stop that hurts!"

The food service Irken sighed, wondering how much longer this could go on. They needed the Almighty Tallest to go to the meeting room where they usually announce big events. Almost all Irkens present on the Massive were in there waiting for the Tallest to give their speech. The little drone had been sent to tell them that everything was up and running and ready for them to go. The event was even going to be broadcast to all Irken frequencies throughout the galaxies. So Irkens everywhere were waiting anxiously for their Tallests announcement as well. The food drone jumped when he heard a sudden knocking sound. He looked up and looked around, seeing the guard running down the hall turning a corner. The guard peeked from behind the corner, giving the little Irken the thumbs up signal. "What is it? You interrupted something of great importance." The little Irken felt his squeedly spooch drop into his stomach, all the blood leaving his face which left him an even paler green. He turned to see who the voice had come from even though he already had a pretty good idea of who it was.

Tallest Red looked down at the miserable sight of an Irken, his face still flushed from his previous activities. The little guy was shaking so badly out of fear, which made Red grin. "Who is it Red? Just come back." Purple could be heard somewhere in the room behind Red.  
"It's no one important so don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." Red stared at the drone with hard eyes. If his eyes could speak, they'd be saying, 'I hate you, you pathetic worm!'. That along with a grin that would say, 'You're not going to like what's coming next for you.'. The petite Irken cringed in the presence of his Almighty Tallest who was still intimidating despite the fact he wasn't even wearing his robes to show his status. Instead, Red had a bed sheet wrapped around his body. This just made the situation seem more dire to the little Irken.  
The food service drone was one the floor now, groveling at Tallest Red's feet."M-My Tallest! Please understand, y-you're needed in the meeting room! I was sent to g-."  
"Guards!" Almighty Tallest Red cut in, not taking his eyes off of the squirming Irken at his feet. The guard who was hiding just around the corner came running over immediately. "Y-Yes, my Tallest?" The guard asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding panicked. Another guard came running around the corner after hearing the Tallest call for someone. He came up and stood beside the other guard, looking back and forth between the sad pile of Irken on the floor, the Almighty Tallest, and the other guard.

Almighty Tallest Purple appeared behind Red, wearing his official robes. "Ooh ooh, Red can I decide his punishment?" He asked, putting a hand on Red's shoulder, jumping like a little kid in a candy shop. Red turned his head, looked at his dearest Purple. His expression lightened as he smiled kissing Purple's cheek.  
"Of course you can. I punished the last one so naturally it's your turn." Almighty Tallest Red said with a grin, turning back to look down at the now sniveling Irken on the ground. The little drone looked up pleadingly at his tall leaders, hoping they could find mercy in their hearts. He was terribly mistaken.  
Tallest Purple looked down at him, scratching his head in thought. "Hmm... Feed him to the slaughtering rat people we keep in the dangerous creatures cargo hold." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.  
"We have one of those?" Tallest Red asked, one eye raised and one eye narrowed questioningly.

The food service drone started sobbing, shaking violently as one of the guards put handcuffs on him. "Come on." The guard said pushing him down the hall. The little Irken obeyed, crying all along the way. The remaining three Irkens watched him go down the hall until he turned a corner and was out of their sight.  
Purple looked over at Red bursting out laughing. "Man, he sure was acting like a little smeet!"  
Red smiled, laughing just as hard. "I know! Interrupting the Tallest is a crime punishable by death! He got lucky!"  
"Wait won't the rat people rip him to shreds though?"  
"Oh yeah." The Almighty Tallests just looked at each other and then bent over with a fit of giggles.  
The guard stood there, waiting for his leaders to stop laughing. When they finally stopped laughing, which was at least another few minutes, the guard decided to finally speak. "My Tallest, everyone is waiting for your arrival in the big meeting room. It's time for you to make your announcement." The guard stood to full attention, saluting.

"Well It's about time. We've been ready to go all day. Why didn't you come get us sooner?" Tallest Red turned around to go back into the room. Purple stepped out of the room, the door closing behind him.  
"Go and tell them that we're on our way and to make sure everything is ready for us." Purple said with a wave of his hand, peeking back into the room. The guard nodded, his jaws clenched together. It was a wonder how these two buffoons were Tallest but of course it was because they were...well taller. He turned on his heel and headed back down the hallway he had just come down not too long ago. Just as he turned the corner he heard, "Oh Red, if we didn't have duties to attend to I'd tear you open like a package of snacks." The guard decided then to make a run for it.

Every Irken in the crowd looked about ready to pass out. They had all been standing there for literally hours and there had been no sign of the Tallest. Ironically none of them moved in fear of the Tallest showing up. The lights and audio crew backstage were starting to get moody and to make things worse they had eaten all the snacks while waiting for the Tallest to show up. On the screens that would be used to control the lighting and broadcasting, there was a heated two player computer ping-pong match going on. Irkens could be heard quietly egging on the player they were rooting for. The loudest noise to be heard was the clicking of the buttons, coming from the claws of the ping-pong players. An Irken wearing a guard uniform came barging through the door, making some others point their blasters at him. "Th-They're on their way! Get everything ready." He breathed out between gasps, as if he had just run from the living quarters of the Massive. Which in fact is what he had just done. Irkens scrambled around pushing knobs and pressing buttons, getting ready to broadcast and operate the Tallests performance. Just as they got everything up and running, the two towering figures they were all so afraid of came casually strolling through the doors.

"Okay people, let's get this over with." Tallest Red said to the crew with a slightly raised voice.  
"Yeah!" Purple added, with a mouthful of chips. He had snatched a bag of chips from a passing Irken in the hallway. One little Irken came walking up to the Tallest, telling them that everything was ready for them and that all they had to do was give the speech. Tallest Red nodded, walking to the other side of the room. Tallest Purple followed him and then they both stopped in front of a pair of double doors. Purple threw his now empty bag of chips on the ground, swallowing the last of them. "Are the smoke machines up and running!" Purple yelled, grinning at Tallest Red. Red just chuckled, shaking his head.  
"Yes my Tallest, all you have to do is go through those doors." An Irken called out, somewhere in the crowd of small tech Irkens pushing buttons.

The Irkens in the crowd perked up when they saw the levitating cameras come flying in overhead. On the stage, smoke came rolling in, covering the whole stage and pouring over the side. "Put your antennae together for your Almighty Tallest!" An announcer hollered through the speakers set up all over the room. He would've given them a more grand entrance but, just like everyone else, he just wanted to get this over with. All the Irkens in the crowd started wiggling their antennae in salute. Two shadows could be seen through the fog, with their arms raised. The crowd roared at the presence of their leaders.  
"See there is absolutely nothing wrong with smoke machines!" Purple hissed to Red as they emerged from the fog. They both waved to the crowd and towards the cameras that were circling them. "No one got hurt this time either!"  
Red just smiled, remembering the time he insisted that they have a laser light show as their entrance. Purple had gotten hit in the eye a couple of times from the lasers and he never let Red forget about it. The only way he thought that he could get Purple to shut up about it was to let him have his smoke machines.  
"Yes, Yes! We know we are awesome! We have an important announcement!" Red motioned to the crowd as his voice was magnified throughout the room.  
"Yes! Very important! So listen well!" Purple chimed in.

"So as you're all aware, Operation Impending Doom 2 was initiated a few years ago. The best invaders that the Irken Empire had to offer were sent to planets all over the galaxies." Red started, pacing across the stage.  
"Yes, our mighty influence is present in many different parts of the universe thanks to those less superior invaders." Purple stated, walking to the other side of the stage. Irkens across the galaxy who were watching the event from home, were sitting on the edge of their seats.  
"We have decided that our rule does not extend far enough though. We have gotten word of planets that have not surrendered to the Irken Empire." Red motioned to a hologram that popped up showing an uncharted part of the universe. It just looked like a bunch of stars though, with no definite planets.  
"Yeah! It's a wonder why they haven't just given up. I guess all races can't be as smart as us though, am I right?" Purple put his hand on his chest, looking at Red with a smirk on his face. Red couldn't help but smile at that cute, zipper grin of Purple's.  
"Of course. We have gathered the next best group of Irken soldiers who graduated into the Invaders they deserve to be. They have worked hard and shown that they are war machines, ready for battle. Your Almighty Tallest, which is us of course, have chosen these exemplary, yet daft Invaders!"  
"That means they're good but stupid! I mean lets face it, no one is near as good as us! They're still puny things!" Tallest Purple cut in, putting his hands on his hips.  
Tallest Red nodded in agreement, continuing his speech. "Yes, yes, of course! We are still the best that there is! There is no denying that. Well these new puny Invaders will be accompanied by some of the just as puny Invaders from Operation Impending Doom 2!"

Tallest Red and Purple throw their hands up in the air. "It's time for Operation Impending Doom 3!" They yelled in unison, while cannons on the sides of the stage shot confetti into the crowd.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Here's is another chapter for anyone who is keeping up with this! Please enjoy!

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There had always been the hatred. The voice that told him to hate was always the loudest. It wanted him to hate Zim, his family, his classmates, and even all of Earth. Lately, he had been hating the people of Earth the most. He felt that they had all betrayed him, made him second guess himself. None of them had believed him even when the evidence was right in their face. They all judged him, just because he saw things that they couldn't but should have been able to see. Why would no one believe him? The only person who believed him was the one person he wanted the Earth to see for who he really was. He was ready to just accept that all of human kind were just idiots, accepting their doom.

Dib's room was unnaturally dark, despite the dark walls, dark floor, and just dark aura in general. His lights were turned off, so he could try to get some peace of mind. He was sitting on his bed with his legs bent and his head resting in the space between his knees. The voices were trying to come back but he didn't want them to. They always wanted him to do bad things and to forget about everything. They wanted him to get rid of all of his sorrows through pain. Dib clutched his arms, trying to make his urges of wanting to make them bleed go away. All he could think of was that no one cared about him and never would. The tears finally came out of his eyes, like they had been threatening to do for hours ever since he got home. After his incident with Zim he had just walked home, numbly. There was so much going through his head that he hadn't thought about it until now. Why hadn't Zim just let that car hit him and just end his misery? In that moment Zim had claimed Dib as his own which got Dib thinking even more.

All this time he had been thinking that no one cared about him but there was one person who did. Well alien not person but that didn't matter. He still cared and that had to count for something right? The only reason he even cared at all was so that he could finish Dib off himself but Dib didn't care. It was still a form of attention and to an extent Zim did really care. He couldn't help but wonder what Zim had really meant when he said that he owned him. There had to be a hidden meaning behind it, Dib liked to think. Dib sighed looking up from his knees, wiping the tears from his face. Zim had no idea but he was saving Dib all over again. When Dib got in this emotional state, it would get to a point to where he would start thinking of Zim. When that happened his mind just kind of forgot about the worries that weighted down Dib's shoulders.

Dib threw his legs over his bed just staying seated. Crying had made him feel a lot better. Dib sighed again looking at his rooms walls. They had a few pictures of Zim nailed to them. There were mostly pictures of Zim with his disguise on and a few of GIR. Dib didn't have an pictures of Zim without a disguise on, no matter how much he wished he did. He had so many blurry pictures that were attempts to take a picture of a disguise less Zim. It seemed that every time he had Zim cornered without his disguise on the picture turned out bad or Zim would end up sending his camera into oblivion. Maybe spying on Zim would make everything feel normal-ish again, he thought standing up from his bed. He walked over to his desk searching it for his camera. He finally found the little black box that had scratches and duct tape covering it. He smiled, thinking of all the memories that this camera held outside of its memory stick. He stuck the camera in his pocket heading to his bedroom door. It squeaked as he opened it, like it always did. He closed it shut behind him, heading down the stairs. There was an ominous glow coming from the living room. It almost looked like the couch was emitting the light. Dib slowly peeked over the couch, letting his breath out, not ever realizing that he had been holding it. The light was just coming from a little hand-held game that was in the hands of his sister, Gaz.

Dib just shook his head, feeling stupid for being scared. He walked over to the front door, putting his hand on the door knob. "I'm leaving for a little bit, Gaz." Dib said, opening the door and turning his head back towards his sister.  
"Whatever." The low, menacing mumble could be heard from the couch. The was good enough for Dib so he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. He took in a deep breath of the night air. It was crisp and smelled like rain. It hadn't rained today so that must have meant that it was going to rain sometime later. The rain didn't really bother Dib; he actually liked the rain. Every time he heard rain was coming though, all he could think about is if Zim was somewhere out of the rain.  
"Curse you Zim. Why can't I get you out of my head?!" He mumbled to himself, noticing that he had already started walking towards Zim's house. This was another one of those routes that he knew like the back of his hand. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the hideous neon green house. The gnomes in the yard were swiveling around as if they had been put on high security mode. Dib narrowed his eyes, walking over to the fence that surrounded the front of Zim's house. From there he could see perfectly into the house window. He could see GIR sitting on the couch, but he couldn't see what show he was watching. Knowing how GIR was it was probably one of the most idiotic shows ever.

Dib took his camera out of his pocket and turned it on. It buzzed a little and then the screen lit up in welcome. Dib lifted it up to his eye, pointed it towards the house, and then looked through the window. On closer inspection, he could see that GIR was eating a greasy piece of pizza. Dib retched at the sight of the disgusting robot. He was covered in grease and other grime. The robot was scarfing down the pizza as if it was a light snack, which for him it probably was. Dib took a few pictures of the revolting robot. Through his camera Dib looked at the rest of the house that he could see. There wasn't much, just the couch and a few feet in front of it and then almost half of what was supposed to look like a kitchen. He could clearly see a toilet sitting at the far wall of the kitchen. "That stupid alien should have done more research on humans before he set up his off-putting base." He mumbled, bring his camera down to clean the lens with his shirt. He brought the camera back up to his face, and he inhaled sharply at what he saw. Zim was popping up out of the toilet and stepping out of it. He looked kind of nervous as he walked over to stand in front of the couch. Dib could see GIR scream something but he couldn't hear anything inside of the house from this distance. He looked back at Zim, who was now talking to himself or so it seemed. He wasn't directing any of his word to GIR so he had to be mumbling to himself.

Inside of the house Zim was having a little meltdown. The ride up the elevator to the kitchen had seemed like an unusually long one. When he finally reached the top of the elevator he just stepped out and walked into the living room wear GIR was watching some strange show that was so cute it was creepy. Zim just shook his head in disgust, looking away from the t.v screen. "I love this show!" GIR yelled, while shoveling pizza in his mouth.  
"Yes I know. You love every show GIR. That's not important now though. What's important is that there is something terribly wrong with me, the almighty ZIM! I never thought that I'd admit that I'm a defect but there's nothing else that can explain this. My squeedly spooch is acting so strange. Every time I see the Dib-creature it threaten to jump out of this amazing chest. I'm an Irken, not a squishy, emotional pile of emotion goo. I hate the Dib-beast, he did this to me. He could've at least said something to calm my nerves but no he had to stand there like the stupid human he is. He could have even told me he hated my alien guts while kicking me and running away. Stoopid, stoo-" Zim was just standing there mumbling hysterically.  
"Are you talking about the big-headed boy?! I like him." GIR cut in, smiling his clueless smile.

Zim just sighed, face palming at his scatterbrained robot. He perked up, narrowing his eyes when he could hear noises coming from outside. It sounded like lasers were being fired. He just shrugged, dismissing it as some filthy animal coming into his yard and setting the guard gnomes off. Then he heard the familiar, lazy voice emanate from his house. "Oh yeah... Intruder Alert." The computer said with its uncaring and unenergetic voice. Pained screams could be heard from outside, along with some more laser fire.  
Zim just sighed, "Some help you are, you worthless computer. Remind me later to change your personality core." He walked over to the door and opened it reluctantly. Zim had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. He leaned against the door frame watching the comical action. Dib was practically river dancing, trying to avoid the gnomes mean glares. They just kept shooting at him, not stopping for a break. He looked back, getting ready to take refuge somewhere by the road. Then he looked back to the front, noticing more light pouring out of the house than before. The door was open! Now was his chance and he needed to take it. Without thinking twice, and not even noticing the alien in the doorway, he made a break for it. The gnomes shot lasers at him furiously but Dib managed to dodge every one. He finally dove for the door, barrel rolling into the middle of the room.

Zim gasped in surprise when a mass was suddenly barging into his house. He turned around seeing that the mass was actually Dib, who was now sitting on his floor. Zim slowly shut the door, watching Dib sit there panting. Dib wasn't paying much attention, he was still thinking about how those dumb gnomes almost took off his arm. One of them had gotten close to hitting him square in the chest but he moved just in time so the shot only grazed his left arm. When the shock finally left him, it was only filled with dread. "Hi Mary!" GIR's voice could be heard to his left. He looked over to see the little robot waving his arm, crazily. Dib slowly turned his head, his heart beating like a drum. Zim was looking down at him with that familiar look in his eyes. Dib stood up and started brushing himself off casually as if nothing was weird about this.  
"Dib-worm, why are you in my house? Why were you in my yard?" Zim asked seriously, breaking the silence. Dib looked at Zim and sighed in defeat. He knew there was no way that he was going to get past Zim. Dib reached in his pocket and pulled out his beat up camera.  
"This is was what I was doing. I was trying to get more pictures of you." Dib said holding the camera out for Zim to take. Zim looked down at the camera, confused and a little upset.  
"You're just giving up Dib-stink? You're not even going to try to evade me? No fighting? No yelling?" Zim asked, slumping his shoulders in defeat. He grabbed the camera and clutched it tightly. He wanted to chunk it at Dib's big head. Zim just dropped the camera on the floor, shaking in rage. Dib looked down at the camera, then back up at Zim.  
"Zim, I told you I was getting tired of all of this. I don't want to fight and yell. There's no need for it, you're not trying to take of the world right now." Dib mumbled, kind of shocked at Zim's reaction.  
"Then why did you come here in the first place Dib-filth!? If you're so tired then why not go to sleep? I just don't understand you horrible humans! Is Zim not good enough even for the humans? I hate you, Dib-stink!" Zim was shaking, trying to contain all of his emotions but he just couldn't hold them back anymore. He grabbed the front of Dib's shirt and slammed him against a wall. "You're part of the reason why I'm like this, earth monkey! You're part of the reason why I'm an Irken defect!"

Dib looked at Zim with his eyes wide. He couldn't believe the words that were coming from the alien's mouth. Then he was being lifted in the air and he felt a sharp pain in his back. Especially the upper part where he had hurt it earlier that day. "What the hell Zim?! What did I ever do to you that was so bad? Sure I've splashed you with water a few times and stopped you're plans to take over the world but that's it!" Dib yelled back, trying to pull Zim's hand off of his shirt. "If anyone should be mad it should be me! You've made everyone hate me and think I'm crazy! I don't have any friends and my whole life revolves around you! All of my thoughts revolve around you! I might actually be close to normal if you hadn't come to Earth!"  
Zim narrowed his eyes putting his face closer to Dib's. "You'd be even more pathetic than you are now if I hadn't shown up! Without me, you would be nothing, Dib-monkey! Either way, none of the humans would ever accept you anyways. They never liked you and never will. Your own sibling unit doesn't want to be near you." Zim looked at Dib with a malicious grin.  
Dib had enough of Zim's crap. He pulled his arm back and hit Zim in the face with full force. Zim went stumbling back, letting go of Dib. He put a hand on his cheek, giving Dib a hateful glare. "Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! You don't know anything! You think you're so smart and better than everyone else! Well you're not Zim, you're not! It's hard enough with everyone else hating me and criticizing me! Do you really have to do it too? I thought I'd be okay with you hating me too but I'm not. I can't get you out of my mind Zim." Dib calmed down a little but was still shaking. He looked anywhere but at the alien, who was looking at him. Zim had been ready to tear Dib to shreds until he heard the last bit of what he had to say.

"Dib-stink, I don't hate you. I mean I do but... I don't." Zim's facial expression had turned into one of defeat. His shoulders slumped over and he just looked at Dib. "You've given me a reason to live. My own kind doesn't want me anywhere near them. I destroy everything I get close to. The only reason that I haven't completely obliterated you're horrible planet is because of you. I saw a passion in you that we Irkens have. Except you wanted to save something not destroy something. That intrigued me. You're the only human on this filthy planet that I saw it in. Time went by and I kept seeing qualities about you that make you so much better than the rest of these Earth monkeys. You don't need those pathetic things to like you, Dib-filth." Zim got a look on his face that looked like he was about to cry. Dib's eyes widened at that; he didn't know if Irkens could cry or not. Zim shuffled over to Dib and gripped the front of his shirt again but this time more gently. He looked into Dib's eyes and then bent his head down, laying it on Dib's chest. Dib look down at him, his eyes widening even more and his face turning a light pink. He hesitantly lifted a hand up, placing it on Zim's head.

Dib smiled softly, "I never thought I'd hear you say something like that to me. Thank you, Zim. I really mean it. You know you came to Earth to conquer it but you ended up conquering me, Zim. I think about you night and day; I just can't help it. I'd choose you over Earth any day. You've given me something to live for too." Dib slowly moved his hand over to one of Zim's lekku, stroking it with his thumb lightly. He felt Zim tense up under his touch and then relax a little. Zim looked up at Dib, one tear rolling down his cheek. Where the tear rolled down, steam came off of the skin. The tear was burning Zim's cheek, just like water did. That must mean that Irkens weren't supposed to cry, which worried Dib a little. Zim managed a small smile but it quickly turned it to a pained look. There was a loud whirring coming from, it sounded like, Zim's pak. A loud click sounded throughout the room and Zim jolted up and then just went limp and unconscious. Dib quickly wrapped his arms around Zim, keeping him from falling to the floor.

"Zim! Whats wrong?!" Dib yelled frantically shaking Zim. Zim's eyes were closed and he became heavy to Dib. Dib grunted, struggling to hold onto Zim. He dragged him over to the couch and lifted him onto it. GIR was no longer there; he must have ran away when Zim and Dib were yelling. Dib didn't care about that now though, he was too worried about Zim. "Zim, come on wake up!" Dib pulled at his hair in worry. They both just admitted their feelings to each other and this happens? Dib couldn't believe it! He reached his hand over rand put it an inch from Zim's mouth. Dib couldn't tell that Zim was breathing. "Oh god! Z-Zim, come on!" He put his hands on Zim's chest and started pushing it on it once, twice, and then a third time. A buzzing sound came from Zim's back and then his chest lurched forward and then fell back on the couch. He was now breathing steadily, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm that made Dib calm down a little. He was alive and that made Dib feel a little bit better. "Uh, Zim's computer?" Dib asked to the empty space, hoping for an answer.  
"What is it..?" It asked in a tone that made it seem like Dib was interrupting something of great importance.  
"Well I was wondering if you had any idea of what just happened to Zim?" Dib asked looking up at the ceiling, which was covered in tubes and electrical wires. Dib looked back down at Zim: his face was contorted with a look of discomfort. His pak was making a low buzzing noise and clicking every now and then.  
"Yeah, I guess I do." The computer drawled. Dib sighed looking around the room, raising an eyebrow questioningly.  
"Could you maybe, you know, tell me?" Dib asked, getting kind of annoyed by the computer. He just wanted to help Zim and the computer was taking its sweet time.  
"Fine. Well looking at this diagnostic scan it looks like the problem is in his pak. It seems to me that it had an overload of sorts. Like when you humans have too much sugar, you crash. That's kind of what happened to him, instead he had an emotion overload. He should wake up in a few hours or so." The computer stated matter of factly and then went quiet.

Dib looked down at Zim, sighing. That didn't sound like it was too bad. It made him sad to think that was probably the most emotions that Zim had ever experienced. "What am I going to do with you?" Dib mumbled, reaching down to put his hand on Zim. He gently put his fingers over one of Zim's antennae and then stroked it comfortingly. Dib's eyes widened in wonder when he saw a small grin creep across Zim's face. He just kept rubbing it while watching the alien's reaction. He looked up and around the room when he heard a low, rumbling noise. "Zim doesn't have a cat, does he?" He asked himself. Dib looked down realizing the noise was coming from the couch. Dib couldn't help but snicker as he put his hand to his mouth, smiling. Zim was purring! The purring stopped as soon as Dib pulled his hand away from Zim's antennae. Zim curled up into a little ball, getting that uncomfortable look on his face again. Dib sat down on the other end of the couch, glancing over at Zim. "It'll be better soon. Just wait. I'll keep you safe."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I forgot to say this last chapter so I'm going to say it now. I do not own Invader Zim or any of its characters. Once again I'd like to thank everyone who had read this and reviewed! Remember, don't be afraid to review and tell me what you think!

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The room was bustling with energy. Irkens were going to and fro getting things done that no one else was going to do. The room was shaped like a half circle, and along the walls there were computers and other consoles lining them. There was an Irken working at each one, doing something that might not have anything to do with anything. In the middle of the room there was a raised up podium that took up most of the room. On the back side of the miniature stage there were a couple of stairs leading down from it and then a walkway that lead to some doors. In front of the podium there was a big window, that could also be used as a computer screen to relay messages or watch movies on. On the podium in the middle of the room, there was a really comfy looking couch sitting there. On the couch sat the beloved Tallest Purple and Red. Purple was munching down some donuts while Red was sitting beside him playing with his mini Tallest Red puppet.

Tallest Red grunted in boredom, reaching over and gently making the puppet punch Purple in the cheek. Purple turned his head slightly and kissed the little puppet. "What is it Red?" Purple scooted a little closer to Red, smiling.  
"I'm booored, Puple! The only thing we've done today is announce OID3 and show people how awesome we are. I mean there was also our little escapade earlier today but that didn't last long." Red said with a mischievous grin on his face. "We announced OID3 but there's nothing we need to do for it and that no fun. All the Invaders were sent to their planets almost a week ago." Red just kept whining while grabbing one of Purple's donuts and shoving it in his mouth.  
"Hey, maybe we could call Zim. He always finds ways to entertain us! He hasn't called us in a while so it hasn't been much fun." Purple said, throwing out the first thing that came to mind.  
Red looked horrified at this suggestion. "Call ZIM? We should be happy that he hasn't tried to contact us! No, we can't call him. With our luck if we did he'd magically find out about Operation Impending Doom 3! Then we'd all be doomed for sure!" Red said, making his puppet punch the air frantically.  
"Okay, okay. Then we don't have to do that. How about we check on the Invaders? I'm sure they have reports ready by now." Purple said hopefully. He hated seeing his lover upset about anything.  
"Okay, I guess so. You!" Red pointed at one of the working Irkens. "How is Invader Genne doing on planet Tefler?" He asked the drone.

The Irken looked down at his computer then back at his Tallest. "She sent a report yesterday. The inhabitants have accepted her disguise and she is making "friends" with the locals there." Red nodded, stroking his chin.  
"Okay... How about Invader Plosh on planet Nokan? He must have been eaten by now or something." Purple cut in, trying to relieve himself of boredom as well.  
"We haven't heard from Invader Plosh since he first landed on the planet. We can't get any transmissions through to him." Another Irken replied from the other side of the room.  
"Ha! I bet he got mauled! We might have to send someone else to do his job though. We can't leave any planet free of our rule!" Red started laughing maniacally. Purple joined him just for the fun of it. They normally thought it was funny when something tragic happened to someone else. That's why they liked watching transmissions from Zim over and over. Something always happened to him and Zim always seemed to either get hurt or fail one of his plans to take over that planet miserably. Watching Zim always cracked the Tallest up but they never contacted him first. They didn't want him to get the idea that they actually cared about him and wanted to talk to him.

"My Tallest, there is an incoming transmission. Would you like to answer it?" One of the Irkens called out from somewhere in the room.  
Red looked over at Purple and then turned his head in the direction that the Irken's voice was coming from. "Where is the transmission coming from and who?" He asked in a bored tone.  
"It looks like it is coming from a SIR unit. The unit belongs to Invader Haloot, who was assigned to planet Edara." The Irken replied; buttons could be heard being pressed from that side of the room.  
"Sure go ahead and answer it. We obviously have nothing better to do." Purple remarked, stuffing his face with more snacks. The Tallest both looked at the window in front of them that turned into a big loading screen. The image at first was blurry, and then it slowly focused. Purple dropped his bag of donuts and both Tallest stood to their feet at the sight. There was a little, turquoise-eyed Irken on the screen, tied up in what looked like course rope with little thorns. Her eyes were wide with fear and she looked like if she could cry she would. She was covered with cuts and bruises and it looked like one of her antennae was missing. Purple unconsciously put his hand up to his own antennae. On the screen, Haloot coughed sending turquoise blood from her mouth all on the ground to join the rest of her blood. She fell onto her side, looking too weak to get back up. That's when a course yet melodic voice could be heard from the transmission audio.

"Hello, Irken scum. We have gotten you're little message. You think one of your wretched pets can overthrow us? Well you were very, very wrong. The mighty Edarians can not be conquered that easily, my friends. I suggest you don't sent another one of your poor excuses of an Invader unless you want this to be you. And yes, if you were wondering, we know all about your mission and your pitiful race." The figure could be heard chuckling. Red clenched his teeth together, looking all over the screen for a sign of who the insults were coming from.  
"Come out where we can see you! We don't care what you know, but we will not allow you to toss our people around like your personal plaything!" Red yelled at the screen in rage.  
"Yeah! That's our job! Now come onto the screen!" Purple added, yelling just as loudly. The screen moved away from the beaten up Irken to show a different view. The alien that could be seen on the camera was unlike any they had ever seen. It's skin was a pastel purple color with intricate light red tattoos covering its body. The alien grinned revealing razor-sharp teeth and a long slimy serpentine tongue, that the alien flicked at the screen. Where its nose should have been, it was just a flat, smooth area like the Irkens'. It's eyes were a whole different story though; they looked like they could cut through something just by looking at it. They were gold with black slits down the middle of each. On its head it looked like it had a mohawk made of feathers of every color and on each side of its head it had menacing horns that spiraled to the very tip. At the end of each muscular arm, there was intimidating clawed hands that looked like they were capable of slicing something in half with incredible ease. Its legs were what made it look even more peculiar. They were normal despite the fact that at the knee, where Irkens would bend forward, the creatures bent backwards. At the end of each leg there were big feet with just as deadly claws as the hands. To top it all off, the alien had a thin tail that went to the ground, with a spiked end.  
"I'm quite magnificent, am I not? I see that look of amazement on your ugly faces." The alien grinned, motioning to its own body. The Edarian was basically wearing rags for clothes, so a lot of skin and private appendages were visible.

Tallest Red and Purple were speechless. Never before had they seen an alien of such magnitude and so deadly looking. The Edarian looked like it was made to kill. Purple raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Are you a guy or a girl? You're so ugly, it's hard to tell." Purple scratched his head in wonder.  
The creature on screen bared its teeth, hissing. "I'm a girl, you idiot! Don't you see my breasts!" She motioned to the growths on her chest. "Unlike your pathetic race, we Edarians have a way of telling our genders apart. I'm not sure if this weakling right here is a male or a female. You should have heard it scream though as it begged for its life and it begged for our mercy. We held back a little but your race is so feeble that it didn't last long." She said with a devilish grin on her face. It disappeared when a small, wheezy sound could be heard through the audio. The Edarian looked down at where Invader Haloot was.  
The squeak got louder and a voice could be heard from it. "M-My Tallest... Please forgive me..." The Edarian growled, kicking at the ground in Haloot's direction. A pained yelp could be heard, a few whimpers following.  
Tallest Red clenched his fists, wanting to cut the transmission. The Edarian turned back to the screen, a malicious glint in her snake-like eyes. "How cute. She wants her leaders to acknowledge her but I bet you don't even care if she dies. You know, I've come to wonder how such a dumb race as yourselves have managed to capture half of the galaxy and then some. You two are the worst of them all. I've heard how you treat your people as scum. You may have them under your control but we will not bow down so easily. You will regret ever trying to take our planet." The camera turned back to show poor Invader Haloot still on the ground. The Edarian showed up on the screen beside her, carrying a knife. Both of the Tallest were seething, while the other Irkens in the room were filled with terror. The alien picked up Haloot by her one antennae, smiling a satisfied smile when she heard the little Irken scream. "I'd leave the planet Edara alone if I were you. Unless you have a desperate death wish." She grinned her creepy grin, bring the knife to the Irken's throat. In one swift motion the Edarian decapitated the Invader, whose body fell to the ground. The alien was still holding her head in her claws. "Goodbye." Her laughter rang through the room and then cut off, the horrifying image disappearing.

Everyone in the room just sat there for a few minutes in complete silence. The worker drones were starting to get a bit fidgety and nervous. "My Tallest?" A daring Irken broke the silence. Tallest Purple glanced over at Red, putting his hand on his shoulder. Red jumped slightly, coming out of his little trance. He looked up at Purple, resting his hand on top of Purple's on his shoulder.  
"Oh. Uh, yeah... Round up every able Irken and any Invaders that can postpone their mission need to be called. We are going to have to rally an army." Red retorted, turning to look at the smaller Irkens.  
"Are we declaring war, Red?" Tallest Purple asked, looking just as nervous and fidgety as the other Irkens. Red turned to look at Purple, a serious look on his face.  
"We have no choice. They have slandered the Irken name and criticized how we run things. We will have that planet and put the Edarians to shame. They will rue the day they killed an Irken Invader! We will make them wish that they had let the Irken Empire take their planet! As of now I, Tallest Red, declare war on the planet Edara!" Red was stating to the Irkens in the room, getting more enthusiastic with each sentence. Some of the Irkens clapped a little bit while others were on their computers already preparing for the oncoming battle. Tallest Red nodded to them and then plopped back down on the couch. Purple slowly sat down beside him, looking at him curiously.

"Red? What are you thinking?" Purple asked, leaning over resting his head on Red's shoulder. Red reached up, stroking Purple's antennae gently.  
"That Edarian was ruthless. If the rest of her kind are like that then this is going to be a very bloody battle. A lot of good Irkens are going to die but we need all the help we can get. I think we need "special" forces for this mission. I really don't want to do this though..." Tallest Red sighed as if in defeat. Purple looked up at Red from his shoulder with wide eyes.  
"You don't mean...? Are you sure?" Purple asked lifting his head up and getting an uncomfortable look. Red grabbed his little puppet and started making it punch the air again.  
"We need someone who is just as ruthless as these new enemies. Someone who would kill at a moments notice just because he was ordered to. Someone who admires his leaders enough to drop everything and go on a rampage and a killing spree in their name. We need..." Tallest Red shuddered in dread, "Zim..."

* * *

Dib was sitting on the couch fast asleep with GIR bundled in his lap, snuggling him. Dib's mouth was wide open so GIR got up and looked in it. "Mary has a big head and a big mouth!" GIR screamed, using his hands to open up Dib's mouth even wider. Dib jumped up in shock, pushing GIR off of him. He yawned reaching up to rub his eyes. He tensed up realizing that his glasses weren't on his face.  
"Huh?" Dib mumbled sleepily, fumbling around the couch looking for his glasses. The lights were off and the only light in the room was coming from the t.v. which had the volume turned down. His fingers brushed against something hard and cold so Dib wrapped his hand around it bringing it to his face. It was his glasses; he unfolded them and put them on his face. They were cold after having just sat there for so long. Dib sat up and looked around the room. His face turned a shade of red once he finally realized where he was. He was still at Zim's base. He mentally hit himself for dropping his guard and falling asleep on Zim's couch. Dib's eyes widened when he thought of Zim. He jumped off of the couch once he noticed that Zim was no longer laying on the couch. Dib looked around frantically, thinking maybe Zim was somewhere in the room but he was nowhere to be found. Dib grabbed at his hair in worry, walking into the kitchen.

Dib walked over to the random toilet that was up against the wall. He reluctantly stepped in it and then looked around. "Zim's computer? Could you take me to where Zim is?" Dib asked politely, hoping to not tick off the computer. The computer didn't say anything but the toilet lurched downwards. Dib put his hands on the side of the wall as the elevator went down below the ground. The elevator finally stopped and opened up to a lit up room that actually looked like what an alien house would be expected to look like. This room had wires, tubes and computers covering the walls. On one wall there were shelves of things in jars with strange liquid. In one jar, Dib could see an unfortunate squirrel floating in the liquid. He looked around, seeing the familiar green figure sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. Zim didn't even notice Dib come into the room. He was just fiddling with ,what looked like a scalpel, between his fingers while deep in thought. Dib stopped a few feet away, not wanting to disturb Zim. So he just stood there, uneasily watching Zim play with the sharp object. Minutes passes and they just stayed there in silence. It seemed that Zim still hadn't noticed that Dib was standing there, which was starting to worry him. "Z-Zim?" Dib said quietly, tilting his head to the side slightly. Zim jumped out of his seat, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was pointing the scalpel at Dib with a scared yet crazed look on his face. Zim's expression toned down a bit when he finally realized who it was and then he put the sharp object back on the table.  
"Dib-beast, it's just you." Zim mumbled quietly, looking back up at Dib. He sighed sitting back in his chair. Dib looked down at him with a worried expression. He wasn't used to Zim acting like this at all. Zim wasn't acting like his egotistical self and it was really worrying Dib.

"Are you feeling any better?" Dib asked, trying to sound casual as he walked over to Zim. He put his hand underneath Zim's chin and lifted his head up a little. "It looks like where I punched you has already healed. That's good. I'm sorry about that by the way. It was just in the heat of the moment."  
Zim turned a dark green when he felt Dib's hand on his face. "The computer showed me the video of you saving my life after my pak malfunctioned," He said abruptly. "I told you I'm just a defect. I'm sure you think I am just a pathetic excuse for an alien life form because my greatest enemy had to save my life." Zim said, shaking in his head in disgust at himself. Dib smiled, chuckling and bringing Zim's face to look into his eyes.  
"I could never think that about you Zim. Even when I hated your guts I would've never thought that you were pathetic. You've always been strong-willed and unbelievably stubborn. I couldn't have asked for a better alien to land on Earth. If it had been someone other than you, then I might've actually thwarted that alien. You're the greatest enemy anyone could ask for but how about we not be enemies anymore. I know we are both tired of fighting and want something more. So how about it? Truce?" Dib grinned, pulling his hand away from Zim's face. Zim looked up at him and got his normal zipper grin back on his face.  
"Yes, I know Zim is great isn't he? Zim is the only Invader able enough to take down this filthy planet. It seems though that I must now postpone my mission. I accept your offer human. Zim will play nice and not shoot lasers at your big head anymore." Zim grinned even wider, crossing his arms over his chest.  
Dib just laughed, putting his hand on his own head. "I guess I'll just accept that I have a big head. I'm glad that you accepted, Zim. I don't know what I would have done if you said no." Dib closed the space in between Zim and himself. Zim's face turned an even darker green as he looked up into Dib's face. Dib reached a hand up, petting Zim's lekku a little less gently than before. Zim grabbed the front of Dib's shirt tightly, gritting his teeth at the touch. Dib smiled evilly, tugging on the antennae gently.

Zim just couldn't take it anymore and reached up pressing his lips to Dib's. Zim had seen many humans do this before and he had learned that it was a sign of affection. He also learned that it was a common way to show how one feels for someone throughout the universe. Zim had never known about it until he came to Earth but to him it seemed like the appropriate thing to do at the moment. Dib made a little noise in surprise, his eyes widening. Zim pulled away, afraid that he had done something wrong. Dib reached his hand up to his mouth to touch his lips in shock. Did Zim really just kiss him? Zim blushed, looking away embarrassed. Dib's expression softened as he grabbed Zim's chin, turning Zim's head to look at him. Dib slowly brought his face down, meeting Zim's lips in a gentle kiss. Zim kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Dib's neck. Dib reached his hand up stroking Zim's antennae again. The kiss instantly became more passionate and needy as they pressed their bodies together. Zim pulled away from Dib's lips and tilted his head bringing his lips to Dib's neck. Zim flicked his tongue out, dragging it across Dib's skin. Zim grinned demonically at the moaning sound that came from Dib. Zim liked the reaction he was getting out of Dib. Dib stepped back, leaning against the table, Zim practically laying on top of him. Zim trailed his tongue up Dib's neck, cheek, and then finally found its destination at Dib's lips. Dib closed his eyes as Zim slid his tongue into Dib's mouth, kissing him passionately. They started playing with one another's tongues, taking in each others taste. Zim started grinding on Dib's lower area, reaching his hands under Dib's shirt. They both pulled their lips away from each other, a small trail of saliva in between them. Dib wiped the spit away, breathing heavily. Zim pressed his hips up against Dib's, grinding slowly. Dib moaned softly, "Z-Zim..." Dib's face was flushed bright red and his eyes were still closed. Zim smiled, happy with the reaction he got from his human. He liked that he could make the Dib speak his name in such a manner. Zim felt in total control and that was the way he liked it.

Zim went to bend back down so he could claim more of his human's body, but stopped when he heard the annoying voice he was starting to hate a lot. "I'm not meaning to interrupt whatever is going on but you have an incoming transmission, Zim." The computer stated in a somewhat mocking tone.  
Zim wrapped his arms tighter around Dib in a protective manner. "Just let it go to voyce-male." Zim said with a dismissive wave of his hand.  
"We don't have that. I'm not a human communication device. Besides, I really think you're going to want to answer this." The computer said, annoyed at his master's antics.  
Zim sighed angrily, turning around and putting his hands on his hips. "Okay. Give me one good reason to answer this call and stop playing with my Dib-thing." Dib smiled at this, standing beside Zim and putting one arm around his waist.  
"The transmission is coming from the Massive." The computer stated plainly as the biggest computer screen in the room turned on. Zim's eyes widened and he looked over at Dib, then back at the computer screen which displayed a dark grey screen with Irken writing all over it.  
"The Tallest? That must be them! Why would they need to talk to Zim? They've never called before this... Dib-monkey, I need you to go over there so I can take this." Zim said as he looked down and straightened his uniform. Dib pulled away from Zim and went to sit down in a chair on the other side of the room. Dib grinned at the way Zim was trying to make himself look more presentable. Zim looked up at the screen, a serious look on his face. "Okay, answer it."

The screen changed and two tall Irkens showed up on the screen. They both had stern looks on their faces. They had the kind of look that people get when something really bad and serious happens. Dib looked at their red and purple robes and wondered what Zim would look like in a pair of magenta ones. Dib just smirked, landing his gaze back on Zim. "My Tallest! I'm sorry that I haven't reported in a while, I've just been busy with...doom stuff. You know the usual! Because Zim is amazing and always does amazing things!" Zim got that conceded look on his face again, as he raised his right arm and pointed to the ceiling.  
Tallest Red narrowed his eyes and stared at Zim with a humorless look. "Zim you need to listen to what we have to say very closely. Don't interrupt me either or we will make sure you stay on that planet you're on." Red said in a grim tone. Zim had a hurt look but quickly nodded his head, looking less confident than before. Dib sat up a little, wondering what could be so important that they needed to tell Zim. "We announced Operation Impending Doom 3 earlier today. Yeah, yeah we're sorry we didn't invite you, blah blah blah. So anyways, we had already initiated Operation Impending Doom 3 like a week ago or somewhere around that time. Well not too long ago, we received a transmission from one of the Invaders who was stationed on planet Edara. This is the transmission we received."

The grim faces of the Tallest disappeared to show a little Irken, covered in blood. They watched the video, both Zim and Dib horrified at what they were seeing. Dib would look over every once in a while to see Zim clenching his first in anger or clutching at his stomach in disgust. Dib had to look away when he heard the Irken scream the first time, but not before he got a good look of the Edarian first. He was kind of intrigued by her but then at the same time repulsed by her. Dib thought to himself that he was really lucky that it was Zim who came to Earth instead of an alien like the Edarian. He probably wouldn't be alive today if an alien as sinister as this one had become his enemy. Dib gulped in worry when the transmission was finally over. Zim looked like he was going to be sick to his stomach but he kept standing tall. The bloody picture dissipated to show the Almighty Tallest's serious faces. Zim just looked up at them trying to keep his face straight but he couldn't help but look nauseated. "I never thought that I'd say this but we need you, Zim." Tallest Red remarked, with his own look of disgust. "We are arranging an army. The Irken Empire is going to war and we need all the help we can get. Despite our feeling that this will all backfire on us if we bring you here, we are going to let you join the battle. We expect you here within an Irken day." Red finished and Zim saluted to him as the transmission was ended.

Dib stood up and walked over to Zim. He gently rested his hand on his shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "Are you okay, Zim?" Dib asked trying to lighten Zim's mood.  
Zim lifted his head, showing Dib his mischievous grin. "Is Zim okay? Zim is great! My Tallest need me for something! They've finally seen my knack for destruction as a good thing! Dib-thing this is wonderful!" Zim wrapped his arms around Dib in a tight embrace. Dib's eyes widened at the sudden movement but then he slowly wrapped his arms around Zim.  
"That's great Zim! So I guess this means you're leaving?" Dib asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. He plastered a fake smile on his face and gave Zim a little squeeze before letting him go. Zim looked up at Dib, already knowing that something was wrong.  
"Dib-beast, you saw that video. You know that I have to go and if I don't... Well, let's just say it won't end well for me. Maybe you could stay here at my place and watch over it for me?" Zim asked trying to make Dib feel better. Zim had cut the wrong fuse though.  
"I know you have to go, I'm not that stupid! There is no way that I am staying here with GIR! There's no way I am going to stay on Earth at all! Whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you." Dib said, crossing his arms against his chest. He was going to be as stubborn as he needed to be until Zim agreed.  
Zim narrowed his eyes, mimicking Dib's stance. "I don't think so, Dib-filth! This will be too dangerous for a pathetic human such as yourself. Anyways, what would you do the whole time? You wouldn't go to battle with me!" Zim said staring Dib down.  
Dib wasn't going to be talked down so easily. "Insults are not going to make me change my mind. Zim, you know better than anyone else that I can hold myself against aliens! I've beat you, oh, I don't even know how many times I've beaten you! If you didn't heal so quickly then you'd have just as many scars as I have. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself out there, Zim. Besides, I'm not just going to let you up and leave me all alone in this miserable place."  
"You can stay alive when you're up against me, Dib-stink! You've never fought another alien besides the almighty Zim! You'd be better off on this miserable planet! Fighting those Edarians will be nothing like fighting me. They will not hesitate to kill you and they will not show you any mercy."  
Dib snickered, giving a wave of his hand to show that the wasn't worried. "You might as well be killing me if you leave me here alone, Zim! I'm not afraid to die but I don't want to die a million light-years away from you. I'm yours and you're mine Zim."  
Zim exhaled in defeat. "Okay, Dib-worm. I don't plan on you dying so you don't have to worry about that. There will be some conditions for you to follow if you are going to come with me though." Zim grabbed Dib's sleeve and led him to the elevator.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hello my dearest readers! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Term papers are a pain in the butt. I'm sorry if there are a lot of typos but I just wanted to post this chapter so I could start on the next. So please enjoy despite any typos! Reviews are very welcome as well! I still don't own Invader Zim or any of it's characters...

* * *

Dib huffed in annoyance, keeping his head down while following Zim. He wanted to run and look at all the interesting things there were to see on the Massive but Zim wouldn't let him. "Dib-human," Zim had said, "I know that you'll want to touch everything with your filthy hands but you need to stay beside me. Make sure to always stay with me while we are on the Massive unless I say otherwise. Try your best to not look anyone in the eye and don't talk to anyone. We Irkens are proud and not very many species have been on the Massive. They're all going to be cautious of you but if you stay close to me, they won't give you a second glance. Understand, hyoomun?" Dib had understood perfectly well but that still didn't keep him from wanting to look at all the neat alien things. Dib would glance up every once in a while to look at his surroundings but when an Irken came into his sight, he would stare at Zim's back. They kept turning corners and going through rooms but it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere. This ship was truly massive. Dib was starting to become more agitated and just wanted to sit down. Zim just kept walking, not looking back at Dib once.

They had been lucky enough that Zim's transporters on his moon base were up and running. They didn't have time to take the six month trip to another galaxy so Zim's technology came in handy. They had to take the voot cruiser to the moon, which Dib had enjoyed very much but it wasn't a very long ride. Dib didn't get to look at the stars and the empty space for as long as he would've liked to. As soon as they got to the base, they went straight to the teleporters. Dib was just as disappointed when they reached the Massive. They had ended up in another enclosed room and there weren't very many windows so Dib still couldn't see space. All the Irkens had just looked at them in either amazement or fear. Dib was pretty sure that they were all intimidated by their height since all the Irkens he saw were itty bitty. Zim had seemed dumbfounded by the miniscule height of his comrades. He had even seemed at unease at this observation, so Dib realized that to the Irkens height meant everything. Dib himself felt like he had some kind of power over the little aliens because he was so much taller than them. In reality though he knew this wasn't true. He knew how strong Zim was and if these other Irkens were anywhere near as strong as him then they would be able to overpower him with ease.

Dib just got the feeling that sooner or later something was going to go terribly wrong. Maybe it was the way that some of the Irkens looked at Zim or maybe the looks of disgust some of them gave Dib, but he just got a gut feeling that things weren't right. Dib had to fight the urge to grab onto Zim's uniform like a little kid might hold on to their mom's shirt. He didn't feel very comfortable around the Irkens at all, they made him feel inferior with just a glance. In this case though Dib was supposed to be a subordinate to Zim. Zim had told him that if he wanted to come with him then he would have to act like his slave! Dib thought that Zim had been joking at first but the serious look on his alien's face let him know otherwise. Dib at first refused but when Zim finally convinced him that it was the only way, he finally agreed. Zim had said that if Dib walked in there like he was their equal, they would've thought him even more of a threat. They already didn't think that Dib should be on there so they didn't need anything to dissuade them even more.

Dib wasn't paying attention so he didn't notice that Zim had stopped walking and Dib smacked right into Zim's back, falling backwards onto the floor. Zim turned only slight and looked down at Dib with a look of contempt. "Get up, human. We are here and I won't have you, a pathetic dirt-worm, shame me in front of my leaders." Dib looked at Zim with a wounded look. He just nodded and stood up, ready to follow Zim. It hurt Zim to his very core of his squeedly spooch to treat Dib this way but if any of the others saw him treating the human with kindness, they'd all suspicious of them. Zim was also too proud to let any of the Irkens think of him as weak or caring; Zim would rather his kind fear him and think him malicious. Zim turned away from Dib, not able to look at Dib's hurt face. They standing in front a pair of large double doors with a guard standing on either side of the doors. Zim stepped forward and pushed the door open. They stepped into the room that Dib had seen the Tallest in during the transmission. Dib followed Zim down the little walkway until they reached the steps that would take them on the podium. Tallest Red and Purple were standing up there looking down at Zim and Dib. They both looked Zim up and down, then their gaze went to Dib.

Dib quickly looked away from their probing eyes. "My Tallest, I came as quickly as I was able." Zim broke the silence, bowing to his leaders. The Tallest looked back at Zim, Purple's expression turned into one of shock while Red's turned into one of pure loathing. They both noticed Zim's intimidating height and they both wondered how they had not know about his increase in size over the years. "Y-Yes, Zim, good for you. Well we have set a course for Edara. It will probably be a few days before we get there. Right now though, you are not need so you can go to your quarters and get some rest. Someone will show you where your room is." Tallest Red dismissed them with a wave of his hand and turned around to go sit back down on the couch. Tallest Purple gave them one last look and followed Red. Zim bowed his head in acknowledgment and then turned around, not looking at Dib. Dib followed him down the walkway again but they both stopped when Tallest Red's voice called out to them. "And Zim. Keep that creature of yours under control. We wouldn't want anything to... happen to your slave." Dib's eyes widened and he turned around to look at the podium. All he could see were the Tallest antennas. Dib was about to make a remark when he felt clawed hands grab him by the shirt and pull him out the door. The doors closed behind them and Dib felt himself being thrown onto the floor. Zim made a small growling noise, still not looking at Dib.

A little Irken walked up to Zim, gulping while looking up at him. "U-Uh... Invader Zim? I'm supposed to show you to your living quarters." The Irken said, with an unnaturally low voice. Zim looked down at the drone, putting his arms behind his back. "Of course." Zim beamed at being titled an invader and grinned his zipper grin. The little Irken cowered at the sudden happy mood of the tall Irken. "W-Well where do you want this thing to stay? I can have someone put it in one of the holding cells, if you wish." The small Irken suggested, looking at the now standing Dib. The human was looking at the floor, his cheeks flushed red. Zim shook his head. "No, he will stay with me in my chambers. No one is to touch him or take him anywhere without my permission. Understand?" Zim bent down shoving his face into the other Irkens's personal space. The Irken nodded frantically, afraid that Zim was going to hurt him. "Good. Now take me to my room." Zim told the drone, standing to his full height again. The Irken nodded again and turned around, heading down the hall. Zim and Dib followed him for a few minutes until he stopped in front of another pair of doors. "H-Here it is." This was all the Irken said because he darted down the hallway, putting as much distance as he could between the odd pair.

Zim watched him run with a smug look on his face. It pleased Zim to see someone run away from him in fear. Zim turned back to the door, not able to get the grin he had off of his face. On the right side of the door frame there was a little black pad. Zim put his hand on the black pad and a light shone from between his fingers as it scanned his hand. "Identity confirmed. Welcome, Invader Zim." A feminine robot called out from a pair of speakers under the black pad. The door opened and both Zim and Dib walked in. The room was pretty cozy looking. On one wall it had a big couch that looked like its pillows could have been made out of clouds. One wall had only computer monitors and keyboards to use for who knows what reasons. On the wall in front of the couch there was what could be the Irken equivalent of a t.v., only it was rounder and had all sorts of buttons covering the frame.

"Yes, this will do for the almighty Zim." Zim nodded walking into the middle of the room. Dib was tired of Zim's superiority and grabbed Zim by the collar, slamming him against a wall. Zim hissed looking up at Dib viciously. "What the hell is wrong is with you? What makes you think you can throw me around and treat me like scum?! I'm not your bitch Zim and I never will be." Dib was fuming and his face was a dark red. "Let go of Zim." Zim demanded with narrowed eyes that looked ready to kill. Dib just held on to Zim's uniform tighter, bringing himself a little closer to Zim.  
"No Zim. You can't just tell me what to do! You're not better than me, no matter how much you say or think you are! I'm not your servant and you can't boss me around like one. You need to get in that big head of yours that you are not superior to me!" Dib tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down but if anything it was making him more angry. Zim bared his teeth, trying to pry Dib's hands away from him. Dib had a solid grip on Zim but Zim was still stronger than him. Zim kicked a leg out at Dib and sent him staggering a few feet back. Just as soon as Dib regained himself, he was being knocked to the floor by Zim's spider legs. Zim reached down and grabbed Dib by his shirt, lifting him into the air. Dib felt his gut wrench in terror at the look on Zim's face.  
Zim looked like he was getting ready to really kill Dib. "Stupid human. You're stupid to not believe that Zim isn't better than you. I have always been better than you. I can treat you however I want because you can't do anything about it. You've always been weaker than me and always will be. You humans are so insufferable!" Zim raised his voice, looking like he wanted to hit Dib as hard as he could.  
"You Irkens are just manipulators! All you do is take and not think twice about the consequences! You're all heartless and stupid. You think you can do whatever you want to me, that you can make me do whatever you want? You can't Zim! I don't take orders from aliens! Now let go of me you little fucker! You don't have any power over me so just let me go space boy!" Dib lashed out in rage, kicking Zim in the chest. He managed to grab onto the only thing he could reach, which was Zim's antennae, and pulled on it roughly.

Zim immediately let go of Dib, letting him fall to the floor with a thud. Dib winced as the pain shot up his back from the bruise Zim had given him the day before. Zim was gripping at his antennae, making a pained face. He let go of the lekku and looked down at Dib, venom in his eyes. Zim took a deep breath and picked Dib off of the ground and threw him against the wall. His spider legs came out, pinning Dib's legs and arms to the wall. Zim had his hands placed around Dib's neck and he was putting a little pressure on his neck. Dib gasped as air tried to go through his constricted throat. "Listen here human, you can talk as bad about me as you want but don't rule in the Irken Empire with me. I'm way out of their league, they just don't know it yet. Dib-stink, I am going to admit that we Irkens aren't supposed to feel emotions and as you say are 'heartless'. That's why I treated you the way I did out there. I was actually going to apologize to you, Dib-filth! Something else we Irkens have is a temper and you crossed the line yanking on my superior antennae. I'm going to have to make you pay and show you that I can get you to do whatever I want." A malevolent grin spread across Zim's face as he loosened his grip on Dib's throat just a little. Dib's eyes widened in fear and he wondered what Zim was going to do to him. Knowing Zim, it could be a range of horrible torture rituals. Zim did the exact opposite of what Dib was expecting, although it was a form of torture. He bent his head down and flicked his tongue out, trailing it along Dib's neck erotically. Dib took a deep breath, his whole body tensing up. Zim pulled back looking into Dib's eyes, a grin still covering his face. "You'd do anything for more of that, wouldn't you?" Zim chuckled evilly, giving Dib's neck another lick. Dib turned his head, looking away from Zim. "I-I'll act how you want me to, just don't treat me like I'm worthless again. You had me worried because for a second I felt like you didn't care. I didn't want you to be just like everyone else. So you're right, I will do whatever you say. Just don't stop caring about me like you did when I almost got hit by that car. Don't make me regret surrendering to you..." Dib turned his head back to look at a wide-eyed Zim.

Zim let go of Dib and pulled his spider legs back into his pak as if Dib's skin had burned him. "You've been giving in so quickly Dib-beast. Zim must have had you scared. Eh, don't worry Earth monkey, Zim will treat you better from now on. You still have to act like my slave though." Zim's eyes narrowed as he got his familiar grin. "You're a slave befitting Zim, if I may say so myself. None of those other pathetic earth worms could have kept up with Zim's amazingness! They also would never be able to make me feel the way that you do, Dib-thing. You're what makes Zim even more of a defect but... Zim couldn't care less. I'm just happy you gave yourself to me. Even if you get on my nerves almost all of the time." Zim sniggered. Dib smiled, knowing that this was as close to an "I'm sorry" as he was going to get from Zim. "Then we can be defects together, space boy." Dib reached down and wrapped his arms around Zim's waist, pulling his body close to Zim's. It was as if Dib had pressed a button on Zim because he immediately gave in, pressing his body as close to Dib's as he could. Zim pressed his lips to Dib's roughly, running his fingers through Dib's hair. Dib gripped Zim's hips tighter in surprise, kissing Zim back just as passionately. Zim shoved his tongue in Dib's mouth, wrapping around Dib's playfully. Dib moaned slightly at the feeling and reached underneath Zim's uniform to touch his bare skin. Zim shuddered at the touch but broke away from Dib's lips long enough to take his shirt off so that Dib could touch more of him. They locked lips again as Dib explored Zim's body. His skin was smooth and perfect; he couldn't find a blemish on his skin anywhere.

Dib pulled away from Zim's lips and brought his tongue down to roam Zim's flawless skin. Zim tensed up a little, not sure how he liked this new feeling. Dib made his way back up to Zim's neck and he started sucking on it gently. Zim relaxed a little, a small moan escaping his lips. Dib smiled at this as he licked a little more erotically at Zim's jaw bone. Zim reached down and found the hem of Dib's shirt, making his way under the shirt. Dib could feel Zim's latex covered fingers claw at his back tenderly. Zim pushed Dib up against the wall harshly, pushing his hips against Dib's growing erection. Dib moaned, grabbing his shirt and pulling it off of himself then throwing it to the floor. Zim looked at the shirt on the floor then at Dib's bare chest. Quickly Zim grabbed at his gloves and pulled them off, throwing them on the ground next to Dib's shirt. Then he slowly trailed his hand along Dib's body, as if moving to fast or to hard would hurt Dib. It felt kind of strange seeing Zim without his gloves on, especially since he wasn't using them to strangle Dib or something. Dib quivered at the feeling of Zim's uncovered claws against his skin. He smiled when he realized how gentle Zim had become and how focused he seemed to be. Dib reached up stroking Zim's antennae compassionately. Zim started to purr, although he wasn't aware of it, and pressed his lips to Dib's again.

Dib hesitantly pulled away and took his hand off of Zim's antennae. He looked down at Zim, his look of content now replaced with one of worry. "Zim, are you sure you want to be doing this? What if your pak hurts you again? I don't want something bad to happen to you because of me. I... I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Zim looked up at him with his eyes narrowed. "Dib-monkey, don't worry. While you were sleeping like you humans do, I found what the problem was. I wasn't able to fix it completely within ten minutes but I was able to make it to where my pak would send me a warning if it was ever close to overloading again. I'll be safe as long as I heed that warning and don't continue with whatever it is that I was doing in the first place. Did you really think something as menial as a small malfunction would keep the powerful Zim from his Dib-worm?" Zim said with full confidence in himself. He stepped back from Dib and raised his shoulders up slightly. "But I guess if you don't want Zim to play with you, Dib-

beast then okay." Dib opened his mouth in surprise, a small choking noise coming out instead of words. Dib swallowed and stuttered, "W-Wait, Zim! That's not what I meant. I was just worried about something going wrong! I just... Eh, bleh." Zim chuckled at how panicked Dib was becoming. "Wow, Dib-thing. Your human hormones do all the talking for you, don't they? The almighty and wonderful ZIM shall make it better!" Zim grinned wide and grabbed Dib by the arm roughly. He threw Dib onto the couch, who landed with a thud and a grunt. "What the hell?" Dib looked up, anger in his eyes but then he was weighted down on the couch. Zim was now sitting on his lap, straddling his waist. Dib's face turned bright red as he looked up at Zim. Zim had that mischievous grin on his face, which made Dib turn even more red. Dib felt like his heart was about to explode from how fast it was beating. "What is it? Is the greatness of Zim too much for you?" Zim asked, leaning down and putting his lips to Dib's neck. Dib's eyelids fluttered as Zim's tongue found its way onto his skin. Dib reached his hands around Zim, placing them on Zim's hips. Zim pressed his naked torso up against Dib's bare chest. Zim's licking and sucking of Dib's neck became a little rougher as he started nipping at the skin. Dib bit his lower lip, tilting his head so Zim could reach more of him. Dib reached up and started massaging his aliens antennae in a way that was just gentle but was also a little rough so he wouldn't hurt Zim. The Irken stopped his crusade on Dib's skin and started purring. Dib smiled and looked down to see Zim's eyes closed. Dib's loving smile turned into a lascivious one. Dib sat up a little, moved his hand away from Zim's antennae, and replaced it with his tongue. He start slowly lapping at the appendage, then started making circles with his tongue at the base of the stalk. Zim trembled in pleasure at the sudden change, a low moan escaping his lips.

"It looks like I'm the one in power now." Dib whispered in a menacing tone into Zim's antennae. Zim tensed up and pushed Dib away, grabbing his lekku with his hand. Dib laid back on the armrest of the couch, smiling victoriously. "Awe, is your superiority complex getting in the way of you having fun?" Dib snickered, placing his arms behind his head. Zim narrowed his eyes, pulling his hand away from his head. He grinned showing his teeth to Dib, making Dib feel a little uncomfortable. Suddenly Zim reached his hand out and grabbed Dib's crotch roughly. Dib screeched, jolting out of his position. He looked at Zim, a look of dread spread across his face. Zim's grin widened and he gripped the area a little tighter. "Who has the power, Dib-filth? Yes I believe it is still the superior Zim who has power over you human." Zim laughed maniacally, his grip on Dib's member tightening dangerously. "Z-Zim, wait. Be careful what you're d-doing. Oh god..." Dib closed his eyes tight, tilting his head back. The feeling was kind of painful but it also felt really good to him. He snapped his eyes open and looked down at Zim when the pressure was abruptly gone. Zim was fumbling with Dib's pant buttons, trying as hard as he could to undo them. Dib's cheeked turned bright red, and he smiled weakly. He had to admit, the alien looked kind of cute trying to unbutton his pants as if they were a highly advanced lock box. Zim finally got them undone and pulled Dib's pants down. Zim pouted when he saw there was another layer of clothing underneath the pants.

"You humans are so complicated." Zim snarled, pulling Dib's boxers down to look at Dib's member. Dib felt uncomfortable at Zim's gaze and suddenly felt himself wanting to run and hide. Zim tilted his head slightly and leaned down, licking the tip of Dib's unit. Dib gripped the couch and clenched his eyes shut. Zim looked up at Dib, smirking at his reaction. Zim flicked out his tongue again, this time wrapping it around the entirety of Dib. He made his tongue squeeze Dib's member, gaining satisfaction from the small moan it produced from Dib. Zim pushed the rest of it into his mouth, sucking roughly. Dib gritted his teeth together at this new feeling that he wasn't used to and his heart was beating a hundred miles per hour. Zim started bobbing his head up and down, making Dib moan again. Dib started to thrust upwards in beat with Zim's movements. Zim could feel Dib's member hardening in his mouth; he wasn't used to doing things like this since Irkens didn't normally reproduce on their own. It was more of a law that they weren't supposed to because all Irkens were made in smeet facilities. He had seen videos on human mating though so he had a pretty good idea of how it worked. In Dib's opinion he was damn good at it too. Dib moaned, gripping the couch tighter as Zim kept him in his mouth. Dib finally released himself into Zim's mouth, with one last thrust. Zim pulled away from Dib, a trail of cum in between his mouth and Dib's member. Zim wiped it away and looked up at Dib, who was glistening with sweat. Dib's chest was rising and falling rapidly as he was catching his breath. That was an experience unlike anything he had every done. Sure he had done stuff with himself but he had never had anyone else touch him like that. He realized it was so much better doing sexual things with someone other than your own hand.

Zim pulled Dib's boxers back up for him and then crawled on top of him. Dib looked down at Zim, not sure if he should say anything or just enjoy their moment together. He decided on the latter and just reached up to pet Zim's antennae gently. Zim nestled his face in the spot between Dib's neck and shoulder, closing his eyes while purring. Dib smiled, nuzzled the top of Zim's head. This alien was now his whole world and would always invade his thoughts. Zim might have done that before they got close also but now it was different. Dib was pretty sure that he just fell in love with this Irken that he called his own. He was going to hold on to his alien and never let him go. Dib would make sure to the best of his ability that nobody ever hurt him in any way. Zim had possibly been protecting him all these years and now it was Dib's turn to return the favor. Dib wrapped an arm around Zim, pulling him closer in a protective manner. Dib made a silent vow to himself at that moment that he would do whatever he needed to in order for Zim to be happy. This alien had made his life a living hell but at the same time made him happy and gave him a reason to live. Dib believed that Zim deserved to be happy too and live his life like he wanted to. Dib sighed and closed his eyes trying not to think about what all that could mean that he would have to do. Slowly Dib drifted to sleep with his Irken in his arms, keeping him warm.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry it's been so long. I kind of lost my motivation and I had writers block for while. Well here is the sixth chapter for anyone who still cares to read my lovely fanfic. Remember reviews are always welcome. Please enjoy!

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Dib shivered as he felt a chill pass through him. He mumbled and swatted the air in front of him, rolling onto his side into a ball. He frowned as he reached his hands in the space around him, looking for his alien. Dib slowly opened his eyes and rolled onto his back, glancing up at the ceiling. He swung his legs over the couch and sat up, looking around the room. Zim was nowhere to be found in the room so Dib decided he'd check the other rooms. He gets off of the couch and scratches the back of his head. "Zim?" Dib's voice sounded loud in the quiet, empty room. There was no response so he walked to the nearest door on his right. This room had a bed, a dresser, and an odd misshapen lamp that kind of reminded him of an old, gnarled tree. The room felt even emptier than the other room since it had so little stuff occupying it. On the other side of the room there was another door. Dib made his way through the room to the door and he slowly opened it. To his surprise it looked like an Earth bathroom. There was a toilet, a sink, a mirror, and what looked like a shower. Dib walked over to the shower and chuckled. He was taller than the height of the shower. It didn't go all the way to the ceiling like a normal shower so in order for Dib to get in it he would have to keep his knees bent. Dib reached his hand into the shower and turned the knob in curiosity. Water started pouring from the showerhead as soon as the knob got to a certain point. He turned the knob a little more and left the water running. He decided that now would be the best time for him to take a shower while Zim was out doing whatever it was that he was doing. Dib slipped his shirt, pants and boxers off, setting his shoes by the pile of clothes. He stuck his hand in the shower checking the water temperature. Once he got it to the way he liked it, he bent down and stepped in. The shower really was cramped for someone his height.

Dib slid down in the shower deciding it would be easier to just sit in the tub. He closed his eyes as the hot water hit his face and slid down his body. He couldn't help but wonder why the Irkens would need showers that had a substance in them that can do serious damage to their race. Dib thought and thought but he couldn't come up with an explanation for why there was a shower. He sighed running through his wet hair and leaning his back against the tub. That one scythe shaped piece of hair was still sticking in it's normal position, Dib swore that piece of hair had a mind of its own. He opened his eyes, watching the steam pour out of the sides of the shower. As he sat there, memories of the night before came back to him. His face turned red and not just because of the temperature of the water hitting his face. He couldn't believe that he had almost forgotten about their little escapade. Just the thought of it was arousing him, so he quickly stood up and turned the water to cold. The freezing stream of water ran down his body, getting rid of all unwanted feelings. He turned the shower off and got out, reaching under the sink and grabbing a towel that was conveniently there. He wrapped it around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. To his astonishment there was a pair of his clothes laying on the bed. Dib grinned, knowing that Zim must have come back. He quickly dried himself off and then threw his towel on the bed. He grabbed his clothes, looking at them for a second and then slipped them on.

Dib turned and looked at the now closed door that lead out of the bedroom. A few steps later he was at the door and opening it slowly. He walked out of the room, instantly searching the room for his little Irken. Zim was sitting in front of the computer monitors, typing away frantically. He seemed completely immersed in what he was doing while watching Irken letters fly across the screen. Dib went and sat on the couch deciding to let Zim continue whatever he was doing. A few minutes passed with no sound except for the clicking noise of Zim's claws hitting the keyboard. As Dib was sitting there, his stomach decided to suddenly roar letting him know that it wanted food. Zim's antennae twitched and he turned in his chair to look at Dib. "Dib-filth. Are your human bodily functions acting up again? What does you weak body need this time?" Zim asked, getting up from his chair to go sit by Dib.  
"You're as nice as ever I see. Well Zim, I'm hungry. You know, I need food?" Dib stated sarcastically, looking at Zim. His face turned a light shade of red, looking at Zim's green face.  
Zim snorted and waved his hand at Dib in a condescending manner. "I know what hunger is, human. We Irkens do have a soft spot for food if you didn't know that." He wrapped his arms around his chest like little kids do when they're angry.  
Dib grinned at how cute and childish his alien looked. "The only thing I've ever seen you eat was waffles and a lot of them." He shuddered at the memory. "Well, space boy, can we go get something to eat then?" He grabbed at his stomach as it growled again. Zim tilted his head slightly and poked Dib's stomach. He pulled his hand away and then stood up turning away from Dib.  
"Yes Dib-thing, we can go fill your disgusting Earth hole with delicious Irken food. Your human taste buds will jump for joy when they taste real food. It will be a nice change from GIR's cooking." Zim stuck his tongue out as if the thought put a bad taste in his mouth. "Yes a very nice change..."

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The food court was bustling with energy and hungry, little Irkens scrambling around to get their food. Dib had to admit, this part of the ship did smell heavenly. He could take one sniff and it would smell like the sweetest of candy, then take another whiff and smell like a pot roast that just got out of the oven. He started salivating and his stomach growled, wanting whatever his nose was smelling. His eyes darted from side to side looking at all the different stalls to get food. He frowned slightly, realizing all the menus and restaurant names were written in Irken. Dib looked over at Zim to see him grinning at him. "Don't worry Dib-human, Zim will pick something out that will suit your filthy tastes. I think I can find something that resembles your gross Earth food." Zim coughed slightly, his grin disappearing as he turned around and headed into one of the stalls. Dib had a smile plastered on his face but it instantly turned into a frown when he saw the looks the other Irkens were giving him. He grumpily followed after Zim, looking at the floor while he stood in line with Zim. Dib stood as close to Zim as he could without their bodies really touching. He didn't really feel safe around all these little aliens. He felt like they were all secretly plotting to throw him down a trash chute into the empty, vast space. The buzz in this restaurant had died down as everyone tried to get a good look at Dib and Zim. Some of them looked like they were pointing and snickering at Zim. Others just looked disgusted or frightened at the both of them.

Zim ignored all of them and just looked at the cashier. This Irken was so small he had to stand on his tippy toes to see over the counter. "What can I get you, uh, sir?" He asked looking up at Zim and his superior height. The Irken gulped, his grip of the counter loosening as he fell to the floor. He hastily got back up and looked at Zim with a look of utmost terror. Zim just grinned and looked up at the menu on the upper wall behind the scared Irken. Zim stated what he wanted and Dib looked at him dumbfounded. He was sure that Zim had something in his mouth or that he had bit his tongue because the words he spoke had no meaning to Dib at all. He stood there thinking that Irken must be a really hard language to learn. They stood off to the side so that other people could order while they waited for their food. A few minutes passed and they were being handed trays with sacks and cups on them. Dib grabbed one and turned to follow Zim. Zim walked over to a booth, sliding into his seat. Dib slid into the seat opposite of Zim, setting his tray on the table.  
"Hey, Zim?" Dib asked, reaching into his sack and pulling out a little box. Zim looked up raising a nonexistent eyebrow in a way that made Dib grin a little. "How come all the Irkens are speaking English but when you ordered food you spoke Irken? Do you not all speak Irken?" He looked at Zim quizzically.  
Zim reached into his bag and pulled out a little box also. "Well, Dib-monkey, our paks have translators in them. We Irkens have a lot of dealings with other species and it would be a hassle if we had to learn each and every language. They're all speaking Irken but you just hear it in a way that has been translated for you to understand." Zim smirked feeling superior with his knowledge.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Dib looked down and opened his box, in dread of what he might find on the other side of the lid. He was surprised at what he saw; he hadn't really known what to expect. This was exactly what he would have imagined alien food to look like though. "I thought you said you were going to get me something that resembled human food." Dib said, poking his meal with a finger. It kind of reminded him of corral. Instead of a rough texture though, it was super smooth and kind of looked like it was pulsating. He poked it again and watched it jiggle back and forth. Zim chuckled as he dove into his 'corral' with his bare claws.  
"Just try it human. Trust me it will be better than anything they have on your planet."  
Dib stared at his food and then slowly took a chunk out of the teal colored alien entrée. He slowly slid it into his mouth and let it slide down his throat. Its texture didn't appeal to him at all. It was like a slimy lizard had crawled down his throat. The flavor though, made his eyes widen in wonder. There weren't really words to describe what he thought of the strange refection. All he knew was that it was amazing and he wanted more. In no time at all he had shoveled the substance into his mouth and it was resting happily in his stomach. He looked up to see Zim's zipper teeth and magenta eyes pointed his way.  
"I knew you'd like it, Dib-stink. The almighty Zim likes it so of course you like it too. I do have excellent taste in things." Zim winked at Dib, a grin still on his face. Dib's eyes widened as he choked on his drink in surprise. He didn't know that Irkens were able to wink, much less that Zim was capable of that kind of playfulness. Dib gulped down the rest of his drink and looked away, hoping Zim wouldn't notice his red cheeks. He saw that some Irkens were still watching the two of them. He turned back to look at Zim while thinking of a way to make it feel less awkward for himself.

"Hey, I was wondering something. If your pak translates everything I hear into English, then why did I hear you speak Irken when you ordered our food?" Dib asked while looking at Zim in curiosity.  
Zim looked at the ceiling in thought for a moment. "I suppose it's because there isn't a word in your language to substitute for our meal." Zim motioned to their empty trays. "It's a word that we came up with in our language so there isn't a word for it in another language. Don't you love Zim's supreme knowledge of everything?" Zim snickered and grabbed his tray. He slid out of the booth, Dib following his lead. They made their way to the trashcan, dumping their trash and setting their trays on top. Dib tried his best to keep looking at Zim or the floor but it was hard to when so many eyes were on him. They walked out of the restaurant and stood in the bustle of Irkens. Zim turned and looked at Dib, "So, Dib-human, what do you want to do now?" He put his hands on his hips and looked at Dib expectantly.  
"Well... I would like to look at the stars." Dib looked away, embarrassed, his cheeks light red. Zim didn't say anything but just walked past Dib. Dib looked up shocked and hurried after Zim. He decided to just follow Zim wherever he was going.

As they zoomed passed little Irkens, some would stop and stare or jump back to get out of their way. Dib still had no idea where Zim was taking them. They were no longer in the food court. They were now passing through hallways that had doors on either side of it. Zim was mumbling something and Dib realized he was counting the doors. He noticed how well all of the Irkens must know this ship in order to get around with such ease. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since Zim had last been on the Massive. Dib wasn't paying attention and ran into Zim, falling on the floor. "I need to stop doing that." He mumbled, looking up to see Zim looking down at him. Zim reached a hand out and Dib grabbed ahold of it. He hauled Dib up off of the ground and then let go of his hand.  
"Yes, it would be nice if you'd stop running into Zim." Zim said, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He turned back around and motioned to a door on their right. "We are here clumsy worm baby." Zim stepped forward and the door slid open for him. "Come on, human."  
Dib rubbed the back of his head feeling humiliated and followed Zim through the door. This room looked like a huge terrarium. The whole ceiling was just glass and the stars shone through it brightly, somewhat lighting the dark room. Dib inhaled sharply at the beauty of it all. There were plants all throughout the room and Dib didn't recognize any of them. The greenery ranged from big trees, to bushes, to little flowers. A lot of the flowers in the room were vibrant colors. They varied from neon blue to pastel yellow. Some of the trees had indigo leaves with bright pink fruit covering its limbs. Dib felt overwhelmed as he took a few steps into the room. Zim stood there with his hands behind his back and a look of content on his face. He took a step forward and grabbed Dib's hand leading him down the path that would take them further into the garden. Dib let Zim drag him along while he stared, slack-jawed, at all the vegetation.

They reached, what Dib supposed was the middle of the garden. It was a small clearing, surrounded by plants with a bench placed by a small lamp post. The lamp let off a pale blue light. In front of the bench there was a small pond, filled with a black looking liquid. Zim walked over to the lamp post and pressed a small button on its base. The light flickered and then turned off completely. Dib looked up at the bright, alluring stars. They were so much more radiant than they looked on Earth. The closest Dib had ever really got to them was looking through a telescope. He looked back down and over at Zim to see him sitting on the bench. Dib smiled and walked over to him, sitting down beside him. "Zim, this is amazing! I've never seen anything like it." Dib exclaimed, sighing in wonder and looking back up at the stars.  
Zim looked over at Dib, a small, genuine smile creeping across his face. He had never thought that there would be a day when he'd be happy to see Dib so ecstatic. "Yes it is amazing isn't it? This room has plant life in it from hundreds of different planets. I don't even know the names of all of them. " Zim was still looking straight at Dib. Dib looked down and at Zim , a little grin on his face. Zim reached his hand out and rested it on Dib's pale cheek. Dib leaned into Zim's touch, closing his eyes. "I knew you'd like this room, Dib-stink."  
Dib nodded, opening his eyes again and looking at Zim. "Yeah, it's nice. Especially since there's no one in here staring at me like I'm a walking piece of trash." He laugh half-heartedly and turned his gaze back to Zim. Zim's expression turned into one of anger.  
Zim folded his arms across his chest and looked at the ground. "Those puny, inferior, stupid worms have no right looking at you. You're my Dib-thing, not theirs. They'll wish they never looked at my human." Zim huffed in annoyance.

Dib smiled at his possessive alien. "It's okay Zim. I doubt any of them are secretly plotting to steal me away in the dead of the night." Dib chuckled but stopped when he saw Zim look at him with a look of desperation and a hint of fear. "I-I was kidding, Zim. Don't worry, I doubt any of them want to get too close to me. They all look at me with looks of disgust but they look at you in fear. They'd be too scared of you to want to come near me." Dib smiled reassuringly.  
Zim's look of despair turned into one of malice. "They _should _be afraid of the almighty Zim! Zim won't hesitate to rip their paks off of their back if they even think of touching my Dib-beast!" Zim's zipper grin looked as spiteful as ever.  
Dib reached down and grabbed Zim's hand. "See, there is nothing to worry about. No one would dare mess with you or anything that belongs to you." Zim looked down at Dib's hand and held it back. He looked back up and his eyes widened in surprise. Dib was leaning in toward him and then pressing his lips against Zim's. Zim closed his eyes, kissing Dib back. He reached his free hand up to run it through Dib's hair. Dib put his other hand on the bench to steady himself as he leaned into Zim more. He detached his other hand from Zim's and reached up to stroke Zim's antennae. Zim shivered in pleasure and slipped his tongue into Dib's mouth. Dib tried his best to wrap his own tongue around Zim's. Zim smiled against Dib's lips and wrapped his segmented tongue around Dib's smooth one. Dib moaned softly, his grip on Zim's lekku tightening. Zim gripped the back of Dib's shirt and pulled his mouth away from Dib's. "Stupid human... Why do you have to make Zim feel this way?" Zim rested his forehead against Dib's, his eyes still closed. Dib opened his eyes to look at Zim and smiled.  
"I know just how you feel space boy." Dib let go of Zim's antennae and let his hand go back to holding Zim's.

"Ahem."

Both Zim and Dib tensed up at the sound of someone coughing. It was one of those fake coughs that people use when they want to get someone's attention or in this case interrupt something. Simultaneously, Zim and Dib turned their heads to look for the origin of the noise. There was an Irken standing not five feet away from them. He had his hands behind his back and had a look of revulsion on his face. Dib noticed that he wasn't as short as the other Irkens he had seen. He still wasn't a very tall Irken though. He was wearing robes that kind of resembled the Almighty Tallest robes. The only difference in the two was that the ones this Irken was wearing were long sleeved, had a hood, and didn't fit as tightly as the Tallest. The robes were a shade darker than the Irken's eyes which were sky blue. Zim let out an exasperated sigh and narrowed his eyes at the stranger. "Can we help you? You are interjecting on something of great importance. This is Invader business so either tell me what you need or go away."  
The stranger started laughing as if the funniest thing in the world had just happened and then just as suddenly as he had started he stopped. "Don't threaten me, _Invader _Zim. My name is Krone and you better do well to remember it. I have a feeling you'll be hearing more of it. Whatever it was you were doing with that hideous creature, I'd advise you to not keep up such practices. It'd be awful if you became too attached to your little pet. Don't expect it to be on this ship much longer." Krone's face was one of utmost seriousness and he wouldn't look at Dib. He just stared at Zim as he if saw something on him that no one else could see. Dib looked at Krone in surprise. He couldn't believe what the Irken was saying. Was he really threatening Dib? Zim bared his teeth in a snarl and stood up.

"You dare speak about Zim's earth monkey like this? Stoopid Irken! The Almighty Tallest gave me special permission to bring him on the Massive. You'd do well to remember _that_! I am an Invader and taller than you so that gives me authority over you as a plus!" Zim stood taller so that Krone could see his full height.  
Krone didn't falter and just looked up at Zim with a lazy expression. "You may be taller than me but my position outranks Invader. I am one of the Tallest closest and most trusted advisors. When there is a problem I go to our leaders and address the issue. They ask for my advice and they usually follow up on my word. I could easily walk up to them and tell them how much of a nuisance I think that human is." Krone smirked which just made his features look more wicked. He had his hood up so it cast shadows across his face so he didn't even really look Irken.

Dib stood up beside Zim and stood up to his full height. Krone gulped and for a second fear flashed across his face as he looked up at Dib. He quickly looked back at Zim, not even taking another glance at the human. "You can tell the Almighty Tallest whatever you want, Krone. Trust me when I tell you this though, they won't listen to you this time. They need me and without me they will surely fail. If anything happens to him," Zim motioned to Dib, "they will lose me for good." Zim grabbed Dib's hand and stormed past Krone. Krone just stood there, staring at the space that they had just walked away from. He clenched his fists as he heard the door slide open and then closed as the pair left the room.  
"You think you can get away so easily from me, Zim? Well you just wait. I will tear everything you love away from you. You will feel the pain that I have felt and when you are at your lowest I will tear your pak off of you. I will watch you writhe in pain as you slowly die." A grin spread across Krone's face as he started laughing manically, raising his hands in the air. His hood fell from his head to reveal that his left antennae was missing. There was just a little stub where his full antennae should have been. The enraged Irken just kept laughing crazily, not bothering to fix his hood.

* * *

Dib ducked as a pillow went flying past his head. Zim was outraged and he was throwing anything he could get his hands on. The room was a complete mess, things were knocked over and there was a huge crack in one wall where one of the thrown objects had met its mark. Dib had lost count of how many times he had to duck in order to not get hit by something flying in his direction. Zim finally seemed like he was calming down. He was standing in the middle of the room his chest rising and falling rapidly in anger. "Do you feel better Zim?" Dib asked, walking over to Zim and hesitantly putting his hand on Zim's shoulder.  
Zim made a noise that could have been considered a growl as he folded his arms across his chest. "That stupid Krone, thinking he can talk to Zim like that! And he dares to threaten to take my Dib-thing away from me! Me? The almighty Zim?! He better pray that he never sees me again because if he does, something... bad and... gooey will happen. He will fear my doom goo!" Zim now had his fists raised in the air, looking at the ceiling as if it were the enemy.  
Dib grinned weakly and shook his head, wondering if his alien could get any more crazy or silly. He just reached a hand up and petted Zim's antennae gently. It was as if Dib had triggered something because Zim's arms fell back down to his sides and his eyes were closed in content. "Do you feel better now? Now that you've calmed down a little, maybe we could talk instead of yell?" Dib asked with a pleading look in his eyes. Zim had been yelling and throwing stuff for the past hour and Dib was tired of it. He was used to Zim's yelling and tantrums but during this little fit he was acting like a four year old. There had actually been one point where Zim had just been stamping the ground with his foot for no apparent reason.

Zim sighed and looked at Dib almost as if in defeat. Dib smiled at him ,bent down, and picked up the couch cushions. He calmly placed them back on the couch, sitting down and patting the spot next to him. Zim slumped his shoulder and flopped down on the couch next to Dib. "Okay, Zim, let's try and think about this rationally. Do you know this Krone? He seemed pretty familiar with you." Dib asked, looking over at Zim.  
Zim sat there for a moment, scratching his head in thought. "Nope. Zim has never seen that filthy pile of meat before. Of course he acted like he knew me. Everyone knows the awesomeness that is ZIM!" Zim stated matter of factly, his arms once again across his chest.  
"Hmm. Then maybe he just has an issue with an alien, so to speak, being on your leaders ship. I could see where you Irkens wouldn't be very merciful when it comes to other species, since all you do is take over planets." Dib leaned back and sighed in exhaustion. They hadn't really done a lot that day but everything being so different had just drained him of energy. Zim seemed to always find a way to tire him out.  
"Don't forget that I spared _your _life, Dib-stink." Zim said in a mocking tone and stuck his tongue out at Dib. Dib looked at him, eyes as wide as saucers. He couldn't believe it. Zim had actually admitted that he had shown mercy to Dib all these years. Zim's look of triumph slowly faded away when he saw the grin that had spread across Dib's face. Zim looked confused for a second until he finally realized why Dib had that look on his face. He stood up quickly and turned his back away from Dib, his face turning a darker green. "D-Did Zim say spare? No I meant... Protected! Zim kept you alive so... that one day Zim could ensnare you in one of my ingenious traps!" Zim had his hands on his hips but he still wasn't looking at Dib. He squeaked in surprise when he felt a pair of arms slide around his torso. Dib rested his head on Zim's as he hugged him gently. Zim hesitantly rested his hands on top of Dib's, his face turning an even darker shade of green. Stupid human. He just had to keep making Zim feel this way.

Zim coughed and pulled himself away from Dib. "Well whatever reason that dummy Krone had to threaten you like that doesn't matter. He can't have you. You're all mine and I won't let someone else put their filthy hands on you." Zim looked at Dib and grinned possessively. "Your feeble human body must be getting tired now. It'd be best to let it rest for a while to get ready for tomorrow. We could reach Edara at any moment." Zim walked past Dib and headed to the bedroom.  
Dib smiled lovingly and followed after Zim. He kicked his shoes off into a corner and pulled his pants off, leaving him in only his t-shirt and his boxers. "Yes, master." Dib replied, crawling into the bed. Zim's eyes widened and he looked at Dib. Then his normal zipper grin found it's way across his face as his feeling of superiority came back. He looked carefully at Dib's own smirk of mischief. Zim walked over to the door and turned a little knob that turned the lights down and then off. The room was pitch black. Zim walked to the bed with his hands outstretched, feeling for anything that might block his way. He found his way to the bed and he crawled under the covers. They could both feel the heat emanating off of one another and it gave them both a feeling of comfort. Dib reached over and found Zim's hand. He intertwined Zim's fingers with his own and shut his eyes. They both laid there in silence, listening to each others breathing until Dib fell fast asleep. That night Dib had dreams filled with sparkling stars and a little green alien that had turned his whole word right side up.


End file.
